Refracting Garden - A Short Story Collection
by Twilights Herald
Summary: How a world fell to darkness (Prequel shorts to A Mirror Darkly)
1. First Step

The confrontation had been building for a year now. On the one side, two girls. Fourteen years old, same height, similar build, different lives. The only thing that brought them together was two faeries, currently disguised as the cell phones at their hips.

Misumi Nagisa. Clad in a black skirt, bicycle shorts, and a midriff-baring top all with pink ruffles. Most likely captain of the Lacrosse team at her school in the upcoming term. A big appetite, with small grades. Cure Black.

Yukishiro Honoka. An outfit more elegant, with blue trim. A long skirt, tight blouse, long hair in a ponytail. Leader of the Science Club, with a history of great accomplishments in her name. Unfailingly polite, unfailingly responsible. Cure White.

They weren't completely alone. They had Porun with them. He was a blue little plush of a faerie. He had spent much of the year as a spoiled baby of a prince, but along with the pair he had grown, a bit, into his power.

Together with their faerie partners, Mepple and Mipple, they were Pretty Cure. And for a year they had fought against the schemes and attacks by the being in front of them. The Dark King. As tall as a skyscraper, he took the shape of a simple humanoid made of energy. Purple light shifted among clouds of blackness floating in his body. His voice was slow, ponderous, as if he wasn't used to addressing anyone at all. "Legendary Warriors. Those who are destined to obstruct my path to immortality. The task of taking the power to create all things should have been a simple one...and then you…"

At that moment, two American-built fighter planes streaked by, launching missiles at his face. The force of their explosion shattered nearby windows, but the creature seemed largely unharmed.

"Impudent mortals! If you wish to interfere, so be it!" The Dark King swatted at the planes like flies, before standing to his full height. "For the crime of your arrogance, I will destroy this city!"

Before he could move, though, he was distracted again. This time by a number of tanks driving through the streets, firing on him between the gaps in the buildings. A soldier called out over a loudspeaker. "Pretty Cure! We'll distract it! Use the time to figure out a way to kill it!"

Cure Black and Cure White looked at each other, then at the rainbow bracelets on their wrists. They nodded, and the battle began in earnest. The girls danced in between artillery rounds with a casual grace that seemed to suggest they'd been doing so all along. The problem was the sheer mass of gunfire – while small arms deflected off their outfits and skin each was like a pebble kicked up in the wake of a passing truck. Individually, annoying, but the thousands of rounds being fired added up to a serious distraction.

White glanced at her best friend. "We need to get above this!"

The other girl grinned, pointing at a speck on the horizon. "The plane's making another pass. I always wanted to try this."

White swallowed nervously. "Are you seriously suggesting we…?" Black nodded. "This is crazy." However, they both retreated a bit, bouncing up the sides above the soldiers to ensure their new allies didn't think they'd abandoned them, then, at the proper moment, sprang towards the speck just as the fighter planes launched another salvo of missiles. Black easily managed to land on the one she picked, her feet sliding then, somehow, in defiance of the laws of physics, found grip and left her surfing through the sky. White slid back further, before apparently deciding that it wasn't worth the hassle of being flashy and just holding onto the flying ordinance with her legs.

Seconds later, they both flung themselves free, allowing the momentum from the missiles to propel them forward, straight into the Dark King's face with their fists. He reeled back, obviously hurt but not dead, and was promptly thrown even further off balance by the explosions following in behind them. The Cures landed behind the front lines of the fight, looking up at him.

The Dark King's featureless face somehow seemed to glare at them for a moment, before he looked away towards the horizon and the fighter jets that constituted the most obvious threat. A single pair of laser beams shot from his eyes, and the sound of distant explosions let everyone know they had found their target.

White gasped in shock, then looked to her partner. "I have another idea! Follow me!"

* * *

Miles away, in a hotel conference room, a number of young men in military uniforms were bent over their laptops, with the projector provided for them displaying a map of the city. A number of blue triangles moved about the dark red mass where Seiko tower in the Ginza used to be. Two gold circles marked where the girls were, at best guess, on a moment by moment basis. A makeshift command center, for a battle no one had truly expected to happen.

"Third squadron's just been punched out of the sky," one of the men shouted, as the indicated unit winked out.

At the back of the room, an old general turned to his aid. "Major? Your opinion?" he asked the young man quietly.

"Sir?"

The general's lips quirked slightly. "Your opinion, Ishida? Is there anything you would be doing differently?"

He coughed. "I don't see it, sir," he said honestly. "We're a distraction to that thing, at best."

"As I thought," the older gentleman acknowledged with a nod, before turning to the room. "Continue the assault as planned.. . and make sure the Americans are on standby."

"Sir?!" The sound was echoed with various levels of disbelief throughout the room.

He gave a grim salute. "Gentlemen, we of the Self Defense Force are sworn to defend the homeland. I know that this isn't what you signed up for, and the order I'm about to give is likely illegal under both the constitution and international law. If you wish to leave, try to go to your families, do so." He looked at the map. "But that _thing_ is, by its' own statement, a threat to the Earth itself. I sincerely hope those girls will succeed. But if they don't, it _must not_ get further. If Tokyo must die to see that done, I will take on that burden."

For a moment, no one spoke, but then someone cried out. "The Precure! They've vanished!"

Ishida went ashen. ".. . they ran. Cowards."

"They're young girls," the general corrected softly. "They were brave enough to come this far, but we've asked more of them, whether we knew it or not, than we had any right." He pulled out his cell phone. "I'll make the call."

Suddenly, a man in a black suit was at the general's side, and pulling the phone out of his hand. "I can't let you do that, General. Not just yet." He was tall, well-muscled, and wearing black sunglasses. "Mr. Jay," he said by way of introduction. "Give them a little more time. I've been monitoring those two for almost a year. They don't run. . . they have a plan."

"Agent," the General said, with deference due a superior officer. "In this matter I will yield to your advice for now. Ten minutes. Give the order. Renew the assault, give it everything you have! Ten more minutes. . . and then we call in the bombers."

* * *

The sounds of massed artillery fire rang through the streets. Each thundering report nearly deafened Black as they made for a subway. "Honoka! Aren't we just running away?"

"No!" White called back to her. "I think we can get under him and maybe make a point-blank shot that way!"

Black put on extra speed on hearing that. There was a sudden scream of twisting metal. She rolled forward just in time to avoid the tunnel behind her collapsing. She glanced over her shoulder, then dismissed it. They were only going to get one shot at this rate, so they'd make it count. It only took a few more minutes to reach the spot indicated. By then the sounds of explosions were deafening. "It sounds like they're throwing everything but the American's bombs at it!"

"Don't even joke about that!" White snapped at her. "Ready?"

"Ready." Nagisa held out her hand. They linked, and looked up. "There?"

"There."

Mepple poked his head out. "Nagisa…"

"There's no time!" White declared. "If the Dark King doesn't destroy the city, all the soldiers _will_ trying to stop him!"

Porun seemed to understand. The little baby faerie seemed a little more subdued than usual when he shouted "Receive the Power of Light, Pretty Cure!"

Nagisa felt the familiar warmth flowing through her body, somehow more strongly than ever before. She gripped Honoka's hand with a new sureness in her grip. She smiled at her partner of the past year. "If this doesn't work...I just want you to know…"

"...save it." Honoka answered, pointing at the spot. "Come on." They took a deep breath together, and shouted the words.

"PRECURE RAINBOW STORM...SPARKLE!"

The lights smashed through the ceiling, up through the ground. Honoka's aim had been true, and the attack had caught the Dark King completely unawares. His glowing red eyes turned towards them as he suddenly came to the understanding of how he had been tricked. "Pretty Cure! I...I will….I WILL!"

The Cures held tightly onto each other, pouring everything into the magic together. Nagisa could feel Honoka's life draining away, and knew she was feeling the same from her. It was all or nothing….and suddenly, without warning, the King's body began to break apart. "YES!" Nagisa shouted.

The Dark King's arm slammed down into the street, dropping a large chunk of concrete on their heads, and blackness overtook her.

* * *

Half the city had been damaged. Cure Black and Cure White lay in the remains of the Seiko Clock. Sitting just above where they had fought. Exhausted beyond measure, they were only barely coming back to consciousness. Nagisa turned her head to look at Honoka. "...did we...win?"

"...no." The pair glowed softly. "...but we beat him. That was...all we could do."

Nagisa felt her eyes slowly closing. "...Honoka…have I ever told you you're beautiful?"

Honoka began to blush, but was too tired to argue. "...Meeple? Mipple? Are you...okay?"

"...so tired-mipo" Mipple mumbled under her breath.

Meeple yawned openly. "...we don't have the strength to...return to the Garden of Light...so we will...stay here...by your side….sleeping….forever…"

Nagisa's head hit the rock she had fallen on. "...I'm not sure...we won't be joining you."

"I'm sorry,"

With Honoka's last words, the five fell back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Honoka found she didn't dream. She simply floated in a cloud of blackness. For awhile, she even wondered if they'd actually lost the fight to live. If this was what death was. But after a length of time she couldn't determine, she heard voices. It wasn't frequent, just often enough to get a picture.

"...lf of Tokyo destroyed…"

"...sands dead...maybe up to a million…"

"...no warning…"

"..an't believe tw…"

"...ill not be pre…"

"..agic real. Still can't belie…"

And suddenly she was sitting up in a hospital bed. Mipple was still in cell phone form, sitting quietly on the table next to her. When she tried to pick her friend up she realized she had been shackled to the bed. She looked around, and saw Nagisa glumly staring up at the television in the corner. The other girl's own wrists similarly restrained. They had been given just enough slack that they'd be able to eat off a tray. She was about to speak up when she noticed the two men in black suits with sunglasses flanking her bed. Nagisa had similar 'guests' with her, but she turned over to look at her with a wan smile.

"...you're awake."

"..yeah." Honoka groaned and lay back down. "Ugh...still have a headache…"

Nagisa sighed. "That goes away after a bit. And don't worry about these guys, they know."

Honoka paled. "But...what the…"

Nagisa sighed. "Mipple, Mepple, and Porun won't wake up. I don't know why."

Honoka felt a tear slip from her eye, but this wasn't quite the time to grieve. She needed to know. "How bad is it?" In desperation to get away from the headache, she fumbled for the device she knew would feed painkillers into her IV.

"It sounds like half the country wants to make Cure Black and Cure White national treasures. The other half wants us shot."

With the bliss of the morphine came a light-headedness that brought out her sense of humor. She giggled. "I guess they could compromise. Make us national treasures, _then_ have us shot…"

Nagisa gave her a weird look, but then chuckled as well.

As soon as the high wore down a bit, Honoka screwed up her courage. "...how bad was it?"

Nagisa went uncharacteristically sober. "It's been two weeks. I woke up yesterday, and they were still sorting through the wreckage. They moved us to Okinawa to make sure we're not in danger from anyone whose immediate family was affected. At least, I think we're in Okinawa, it could be Hawaii, America, or Brazil and just staffed by Japanese for our 'comfort' I guess. I can't get a straight answer from these guys."

"Nagisa…"

"...they think the death toll from the attack is going to be over a million people."

Honoka went pale again. "...what's going to happen now?"

At that moment, the door burst open and a man in a loud Hawaiian shirt burst through, his khakis looking to be a size too small and his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. "All right, you're awake!" he cried out jovially. "Boys, take a hike." The guards' expressions were hard to read behind their own sunglasses, but they seemed vaguely astonished. " _Take a hike!_ " he shouted again, with a distinct order of command. Still, they hesitated. "Oh for... without the fancy duds on they're a couple of teenage girls! I think I can handle them." In short order, they had filed out of room and the enthused tone was back as the man busied himself with unlocking them from the beds. "I'm Mr. Jay," he said, a little more calmly. "Glad you're awake, we were afraid you were hurt."

Nagisa rubbed at her wrists to try to get circulation back into them. "Then what's with the chains?"

Mr. Jay finally seemed to sober up, turning a chair around away from them and casually sitting on it facing them, leaning on the back with his head resting on his forearms. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you – you two have a lot of people scared. Important people, you understand. The news reports are . . . more mixed, I'd say about fifty-fifty."

Honoka swallowed. "Hence the dilemma, and why we're out of the way. I suppose the next few minutes determine whether we live or die."

Nagisa panicked, reaching for the sleeping Mipple on the table next to her. "Dual Aurora...come on!" Honoka hesitated a moment, then decided to humor her friend. The next time they tried it, it was simultaneously. "DUAL AURORA WAVE!"

Nothing happened.

Honoka sighed. "Well. . . I suppose that makes it easier. With our friends like this. . . "

Mr. Jay seemed to sink into the chair in relief for a moment, before straightening. "Well, I guess that settles it, then. You'll be under observation here for another two weeks. Then I'll tell the judge to commute your sentences to time served here."

"Huh?" Nagisa said intelligently.

Honoka beat Mr. Jay to the punch. "This isn't a hospital, is it?"

"Well, technically no," Mr. Jay admitted. "It's a minimum security prison. The record will show you're guilty of misdemeanor vandalism."

"...vandalism?" Nagisa asked skeptically.

The man smiled. "You damaged a subway wall."

Nagisa looked like she was about to protest, but Honoka stopped her. "What if we'd been able to transform?" she asked.

The man, who was by now quite obviously more than he appeared, grew sober. "I won't lie. I'm _trying_ to be your friend. Everyone from my bosses on up to the Prime Minister disagrees with me on that, because of the danger the Pretty Cure pose. In all truth, they want to see _them_ hang for what happened to the Ginza." Both girls paled. "But, seeing as how Cure Black and Cure White are unavailable. . . Misumi Nagisa and Yukishiro Honoka will be returned to a normal, everyday life with absolutely no more monster attacks or superheroes. I'll be keeping tabs on you to make sure of that. . . and if that should change, you talk to me _before_ you do _anything._ Understood?"

When both girls nodded, he stood up. "I'll see about getting you some decent clothes and a good meal. There's a beach outside, you can go swimming to get back into shape. For now, get some rest." And then he was gone.

"...that's it?" Honoka said, puzzled for a moment, then sighed. "Well, it's not like we can do it again anyway. If the others are asleep forever…"

"...yeah."

Honoka's head dropped. "...then...it's all over?"

"I guess it is."

Two years later, they both would wish it had been over.


	2. A Girl's Heart

It was the start of a typical day for Yukishiro Honoka, at least since she had gotten back from the disaster. "Good morning Mipple," she half-whispered to her friend, who was still trapped in the form of a flip-phone. As expected, she didn't answer, so Honoka just went to wash up before breakfast. She started the rice cooking and the fish grilling for her grandmother, before toasting up a slice of bread, hard-boiling an egg, and putting together a quick salad for herself. She didn't even bother leaving a note anymore.

It was always hard to tell what kind of day it would be, so she had to leave early.

She strolled casually through town, ignoring the fact that it was before dawn. She gave the police officer a polite nod, which he returned with a small smile. "Good morning, Yukishiro," he said to her. Not "Up early, are you?" or "Should a girl your age be up at this hour?" like she would have expected. Another sign that this was becoming a routine.

So she did what anyone would do. Returned the greeting and kept right on going. Passing the last vending machine, she considered grabbing something, but decided against it. The way to Nagisa's heart might be through her stomach, but her pocketbook wouldn't be able to take much more of 'treating' Nagisa every day. If she needed it, she had some reserve.

That just left the Misumi house. She walked up to the door and quietly opened it. "Excuse me," she called out.

"Ah, Honoka," Nagisa's mother replied, looking entirely too cheerful. She was also standing by the door, as if she'd been waiting. "My husband and I were talking last night, and. . . "

Honoka suddenly put on her fiercest stare. "You'd rather I stop coming by in the mornings?"

If the woman was at all surprised, she didn't show it. "Yes, that's it exactly. Sooner or later Nagisa has to get over this on her own. You can't be there for her forever."

Honoka shrugged. "I certainly don't see why not. Or at least, as long as it takes."

"Then let Doctor Fukuzawa handle it," Mrs. Misumi said with what she must have assumed sounded like a reasonable voice. "You're trying to become a scientist, surely you understand the value in what he's doing for you."

Honoka looked away. "I understand the value in what he's supposed to be doing, but I don't trust him."

"That's absurd, don't you think?"

Honoka bit her lip. "Then why weren't we allowed to choose our own doctors? Why have I never seen another patient of his? There's something I don't like about that man."

"You're fourteen years old, Miss Yukishiro," came the response, stern. "You aren't old enough to make that kind of decision. As for your 'suspicions', that's just nonsense."

Honoka shrugged. "Fine, then try to get Nagisa up by yourself." She smiled back. "I'll just wait here."

"No. Go on to school."

Honoka sighed. "Fine." There was plenty of time. She walked outside, past the front gate, stepped up against the wall. . . and waited.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped out away from the wall enough to see Nagisa's mother was still shouting at her. A little, self-satisfied smirk, and she waved to her. It took a minute, but when the woman caught sight of her, she obviously sighed in defeat and waved her in. When Honoka got upstairs, Mrs. Misumi was just stepping out of Nagisa's room. "Honestly, I don't get what the trouble _is_ with her."

Honoka winced. It was apparently a bad morning today.

Honoka got into the room just as Nagisa had pulled the curtains shut again, as if she could somehow hold back the coming morning. But the sun was filling the room with a few golden beams of light regardless, and she was already climbing back into bed when Honoka took a seat. She looked up at her friend. ". . . thanks."

"Any time." Honoka said, smiling. "It doesn't matter if it's just another lousy day, you know we'll always face it together."

Nagisa grinned weakly. "Can't we not face it together, for a change?"

"I wish we could," Honoka felt her throat tighten. "But your mom already tried to kick me out. If I let you stay home she'd probably never let me come by again. I'd have to get a ladder and climb in through the window."

Nagisa laughed, and forced herself to sit up. She looked at the small table by her bed, and said "Good morning, Mepple,"

* * *

The ring of the school bell signaled the end of the day. Nagisa got up from her seat in the back corner, near the window. The one she'd been assigned a few days ago, after their 'break'. Honoka was right in front of her, hunched over her homework. Nagisa just sighed, getting up to head over to two of the girls from the Lacrosse club, Rina and Shiho. "Hey," she said, trying to force herself to sound cheerful. The greeting was echoed weakly, so she decided to go ahead. "Hey. Look, I know I can't head to the club for a bit, but do you want to meet up after?"

Rina and Shiho glanced at each other nervously, and bit their lips. "Uh...we're kinda busy…" Shiho said for the both of them.

"Oh," Nagisa's reply sounded somehow hollowed out to her own ears. "Uh…"

Rina decided to give her an encouraging smile. "Look, Nagisa, you just focus on getting better, okay?"

Honoka was suddenly at Nagisa's side. "Look, this isn't the sort of thing that just 'gets better.' Can't you be a little more supportive?"

Shiho gave the pair a wary look. "Uhm. . . you mean you could. . . "

Honoka groaned and looked like she wanted to slam her head into the desk. "It's not like that was something that 'just happened.' Do you think we wanted…"

Shiho snapped. "So you don't deny that you wrecked half the city!"

"I _do_ deny it!" Honoka shouted back. "That was the Dark King! We were trying to - " a hand landed on her shoulder. " _Nagisa!_ "

"It doesn't matter," Nagisa said. "They're just going to believe what they want. Maybe I should just join the Science Club. At least there people are supposed to listen to you, right?"

Rina and Shiho winced, while Honoka went kind of pale. "Uhh...we'll talk about it later. We have to get going now anyway." She took Nagisa's hand and led her out of the classroom.

Rina suddenly turned on Shiho. "You didn't have to put it like that!"

"Don't tell me she doesn't scare the living daylights out of you too."

Rina couldn't deny it.

* * *

The office, located in what was coming to be known as the Shin-Shibuya area after the original Shibuya's destruction, was exactly what one would expect. Several comfortable chairs and a couch loosely arranged in a room, the walls painted in a cool, relaxing green. A desk and several shelves of psychiatric tomes were discretely shoved off into a corner. The window opened up with an excellent view of Tokyo Bay, made even more spectacular by the utter removal of all the destroyed buildings in every district between the two.

Nagisa hated the office.

Dr. Fukuzawa was in his late 30s, completely clean cut, with a polo shirt and khakis that practically screamed 'casual.' Which meant, as far as Nagisa was concerned, he was ancient, and worse, he thought he knew all the answers. Normally, in a situation like this she'd talk to Honoka, but that wasn't an option for all that her best friend was in the reception area, no doubt reading while waiting for her to finish up. So she sat there, just listening to his questions without answering, cradling Mepple's 'body' as she thought of it, just as she had every other day after school for the past month.

"Nagisa, _please._ " He said to her, trying this same line again. "I am here to help you. Your parents won't hear a thing."

Nagisa finally snapped. "And what about Mister Jay, huh? _He's_ the reason we have to come here."

The doctor sighed. "I swear to you, I'm only required to tell him if you're intending criminal action or might be a self-harm risk." Nagisa snorted. "Believe it or not, I am here to help you, and your growing obsession with those toys is distinctly unhealthy."

" _HE IS NOT A TOY!_ " Nagisa screamed at him. "He's my precious friend! We've been through more together than you can _ever_ imagine!"

Dr. Fukuzawa finally, _finally_ smiled. "Well, that's a start. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"So you can call me crazy?" Nagisa turned away again. "No thanks."

"Well," he said. "First, that's not the business doctors like me are in. We don't deal in terms like 'crazy' or 'insane' anymore. I'm just attempting to identify what, if any, mental health issues you may or may not have, and help you through them."

"So whether or not we're crazy," Nagisa retorted shortly. "I'll say it again. No. Thanks. I just want to go back to Lacrosse practice."

"Which brings me to my other point." Fukuzawa continued, pretending he hadn't heard. "I am not supposed to tell you this, of course, but I am being paid a great deal of money by the people that Mister Jay works for. It's my usual rates, of course. For _every patient I could see."_ Nagisa's eyes shot up from Mepple to stare at him incredulously. "I was told you two girls are a very special case, and that I was instructed to treat everything you say as sincere and truthful, no matter how delusional you seem. I was also instructed to clear my entire schedule and make your cases my sole focus, at least until I can make a determination on how best to proceed."

Nagisa stayed silent for a very long time. Finally, she spoke. "Doctor, I'm only going to say this once. What happened to us was. . . there are literally no words I can think of. Ask Honoka about that."

"I have. I suspect you are well aware of her answer."

"Good," Nagisa said. "But the big thing is, it was _personal._ "

Fukuzawa sighed. "It may help you to talk about it."

"I have Honoka for that," Nagisa countered. "And I think our time's up. Friday?"

Fukuzawa nodded. "I can afford to do this as long as you can,"

Honoka was, indeed, waiting for her on the other side of the door. Nagisa wordlessly took a seat beside the girl and threw her arms around her in a desperate embrace. "I hate him."

Honoka gently reached up and patted her back. "You don't mean that."

"I do." Nagisa said, trying not to cry. "I hate him, I hate Mister Jay, I hate my parents for making me do this, I hate. . . "

Honoka pulled her into an even tighter embrace. "No, you don't. You're just mad. I'm mad. I just want to try to move on. . . but we have to take care of them."

"I know. . . "

* * *

Fukuzawa sighed as the door to his office opened an hour after the girls left. "You could knock," he pointed out.

'Mister Jay' took a casual seat next to the desk. "Well, I know all of your patient's schedules. Any luck?"

"Surprisingly limited," the psychiatrist admitted. "However, you know there's little I can discuss with you."

"I _am_ their legal guardians," the secret agent countered. "I allowed them to stay in their original home situations because it seemed more prudent."

"...I wasn't aware of that," Fukuzawa admitted. "I'll need to see that in writing, of course." A form was passed to him, which he silently reviewed, then sighed. "The first thing I should tell you is that if a word of anything I would normally share with the parents is breathed, they'll shut down. I will _never_ be able to help them."

"So they _do_ need help." Mister Jay sighed. "That's fine, it's all I _need_ to know anyway."

"...all you need, or all your superiors need?" Mister Jay's smirk was all the answer he needed. "Very well. There isn't much more to report anyway. They are _remarkably_ obstinate. I would suggest taking away those toys -"

"They are not toys," Mister Jay said to him, shortly. "I can see that you will need more to do your job. They are, despite appearances, the remains of sentient beings from another world. This is, of course, classified up to the highest levels."

"I...see," the psychiatrist said. "You realize that, as a man of science, I will demand proof of such an extraordinary claim."

Mister Jay shook his head. "Even telling you could get us both shot. Well, hanged in your case."

"...I see. I remember asking you this when we came to this...extraordinary arrangement, but I'll repeat myself. Does this relate to the Battle of Tokyo?"

"It does."

Dr. Fukuzawa nodded. "I do wish you had told me. It does not change my recommendation greatly, though. Those girls are becoming fixated to the point of obsession on those things. In fact, this information only makes it more imperative. Their behavior would be similar to carrying around the corpses of their loved ones, everywhere they go. Perhaps hold a funeral – Christian style, since I suspect your people wouldn't countenance cremating alien remains."

Mister Jay nodded thoughtfully. "It _is_ an idea. Something to help them let go…" He smiled. "Thank you, doctor. You've been most helpful. I will continue to rely on your advice."

"...one more thing. I suspect Miss Misumi is becoming a danger to herself."

Mister Jay went pale. ". . . options, doctor?"

"Very few, at the moment," he replied. "It's _just_ a suspicion, but there are scars from what those girls were doing for the past year. Miss Yukishiro is handling them as reasonably as can be expected, I think. Miss Misumi is not. That the latter is clearly infatuated with the former is not helping."

"I see." Mister Jay shrugged. "Is it returned?"

"Hard to say, but I don't believe so," the doctor said wearily. "They speak little, at least to me."

"All right," Mister Jay shrugged. "I guess arranging a boyfriend for her as a way to take her mind off things isn't a good idea."

"I wouldn't recommend it in any event, but in this case definitely not."

Mister Jay chuckled. "Well, it was worth asking about." He paused. "Actually, I think I need to check my notes. An old friend could be just what they need. . . "

* * *

The streets of Tokyo were deserted, at least compared to a month ago. While there were always _jokes_ about giant monsters destroying the city, actually having it happen had had the predictable effect – everyone who could afford to, and many who couldn't, had started to move away. Others were moving in to work on the new building going up where the center of the city had been, but that would take time.

Honoka knew Nagisa wouldn't understand any of that. Truthfully, she envied the athletic girl that ignorance. Somewhat less so, the topic she was prattling on about now.

"I swear, once I get back into the game we'll get the championship for sure this year." Nagisa sounded enthusiastic, of course, but Honoka couldn't take it anymore.

"Nagisa, they won't let us back into the clubs!"

The other girl stared at her. "Wh..what? We just have to outlast that stupid doctor's patience and - "

"It won't work," Honoka said more quietly. "They think we're. . . "

Nagisa winced. "But. . . they're still our friends?"

"Have you talked to them since we got back?"

Nagisa didn't answer.

Honoka sighed. "It's not fair. I've already asked my grandmother to let me transfer to L'Ecole des Cinq Lumières. You could come too."

"That's in Minato. Wasn't it - " Nagisa couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Honoka nodded. "The school was pretty badly damaged, but they bought up another campus just on the other side of the river. They're outside...that thing," she gestured to the pyramid. "By the time we graduate their high school we could be on the old campus grounds again."

Nagisa sighed. "But that would be giving up, wouldn't it?"

"...Nagisa, you're an idiot."

"Hey!"

Honoka shook her head. "I don't want to keep going to school somewhere people know who we were. Is that really giving up?"

"...yes."

Honoka was about to answer, when suddenly she felt a tingle up her spine and spun towards the road. Standing across the way was a girl with a single blonde pigtail and emerald green eyes that somehow shone at them all the way across the eight lane street. Nagisa stared at her as well, and for a few moments they just stood there, frozen in place….and then the former Precure blinked….and the strange girl was gone. ". . . shit."

Nagisa couldn't catch her breath, leaning hard against the safety barrier between the wide sidewalk and the street. "No. No no no! I'm . . . I can't deal with this now!"

Honoka grabbed her by the shoulder. "It's not our responsibility to deal with it! Call Mister Jay, or I'll do it. We report there was something weird, and let him do what he does."

Nagisa's eyes widened. "Honoka, no! Didn't you see that! She looked like a girl! A human! We can't…"

"Kiriya," Honoka said, remembering the 'boy' who had wormed his way into their lives all while working for the Dark King...before betraying the otherworldly entity and simply handing over his Rainbow Prism before willingly fading away. "Then what do we do?"

Nagisa groaned. "I don't _know_ Honoka, but we can't let _them_ find out about this."

Honoka found herself smiling. "For someone who's been going after my oldest friend like he's the only boy in the world, you sure have a weakness for cute girls." Nagisa babbled out a protest, but Honoka put a finger to her own lips to shush the other girl. "Okay, okay. For now, we'll try to ignore her. We can't afford to get involved again."

Nagisa realized it was the best her conscience would get.

* * *

Eventually, as it always had to, the time came for Honoka and Nagisa to part. . . but that day there was a problem. They had said their usual goodbyes, when Honoka turned the corner and realized Nagisa was still holding her hand.

"It's a school night."

"I . . . I don't care." Nagisa said quietly. "I don't want to see them tonight." There was no need to ask who 'they' were, and after that run-in with the mysterious girl there was going to be no use arguing.

Honoka smiled at her friend. "All right. Grandma won't mind, but we'll have to go to your place first."

"You're sure it's okay?" Nagisa asked, looking so _tired._

"Yes." Honoka said back. "Now, you've got your stuff packed? I don't want a repeat of the last time. Or the time before that. Or - "

Nagisa actually managed a small laugh. It was a weak thing, utterly pathetic. Sometimes, Nagisa seemed almost normal, but then there were days like this. The fact was that nothing was being done about the stigma of needing to go see that doctor.

That wasn't fair, Honoka quickly realized. Everything indicated that Dr. Fukuzawa genuinely wanted to help them, but what could he _do_? "Nagisa. . . do you think maybe we're being too cautious about Fukuzawa? I mean, what's the worst that happens? He doesn't believe us, tells our parents, and. . . "

"They lock us up. Because we're crazy." Nagisa said shortly. "We're. . . we're not, are we? That really happened, right?"

Honoka sighed. "Yes, Nagisa."

". . . tomorrow, why don't we go back?"

Her jaw dropped at Nagisa's suggestion. "I think that's a really bad idea. You don't _need_ to see that again." She paused for a long time. "You know, I don't think I've ever been to a gaming center before. Maybe we can do that instead."

Nagisa snorted. "I'm not into that kind of thing. I prefer console games."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun." Honoka countered. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not like things would get worse. We won't turn into shut-ins like that from one visit." Of course, that was becoming a serious risk anyway, but Honoka decided _any_ human interaction was probably better than the 'nothing' that was happening at this point. She decided to play her trump card. "My treat….we'll even skip school."

"...really?" Nagisa asked, smiling slightly. "Yukishiro Honoka, suggesting we skip school?"

Honoka laughed a bit at that. "Your grades are way better than they were."

"Nothing to do but study," Nagisa said again, quietly. "...fine. Anyway, let's get my stuff." She said, opening the door to her residence and calling out a quiet 'we're here,' to the dark hallway that greeted them.

They both nearly jumped out of their skins at the answering thump from across the house. Nagisa recovered first, going quickly to the kitchen. Honoka did her best to stay quiet, creeping up behind her as they ducked into the room, lit only by the setting sun. There was a note on the counter, and Nagisa picked it up and went pale. "Nobody's supposed to be home." She looked around, grabbing the largest chef's knife from the kitchen drawer.

Honoka stared at the bare blade. "Nagisa!" she half-whispered, half-hissed in alarm.

"There's a burglar. Stay back, Honoka, I'll deal with him." She turned and crept down the hallway, knife gripped firmly in both hands like a sword. Honoka, despite the admonishment, followed close behind. When they reached it, Nagisa looked back over her shoulder with a small smile . . . before turning the corner with a kick strong enough to break the frame, but simultaneously throwing herself off-balance. Honoka barely caught her before the knife went flying, steadying her at the same time as she risked a glance into the room.

Nagisa's bedroom had, in fact, not been ransacked. The pink-painted walls, the bed still snugly up against the corner, writing desk covered in crumpled up papers, the dresser next to the door, and the low tea-table in the middle of the room, all was as it was supposed to be. And at that table sat two entities, facing the door and calmly sipping tea.

The first, little over knee height, nonetheless human shaped. With a rainbow of spherical lights arranged in a crescent floating around him, there could be no mistaking him for anything but a mystical entity. Just to enforce this further, he wore robes that were long, well over his hands, and a simple turban covering green hair. As usual, his eyes never opened.

The other figure was a bit taller, perhaps half the height of the average man, clad entirely in beige save for the white beard, mustache, and the remnants of hair that seemed to obscure all of his identifying features aside from a smooth, bald head. "Welcome home," he said calmly.

Nagisa took it anything _but_ calmly, stalking across the room, knife waving about alarmingly. "Don't you 'welcome home' me! _You can't be here!_ We did everything you needed, the world's saved, so _why have you come here to mess up our lives again?!"_

Honoka stepped in, and carefully put a calming hand on her best friend's shoulder while trying, gently, to take the knife from her hands. "Please. They're probably just here to bring Mepple, Mipple, and Porun home."

"You….you mean they haven't awakened?" the 'old man' asked.

Nagisa snarled. "No! They're _gone._ If you've come to take them home...I...I…" She collapsed against the door frame. "Please...just...let me say goodbye. Elder, Wisdom," she said. "Please…"

Wisdom, the younger looking of the two faeries, swallowed. "Precure...we need your help."

Honoka nearly felt her heart stop. "I...I am sorry," she said, forcing herself to her most formal. "I'm afraid that, whatever you're asking, it's quite impossible."

"But there's no one else we can turn to!" Wisdom said. "The Queen is dead!"

Nagisa was taking deep, gasping breaths. "No...there's nothing we can do! Don't you _get_ it? Didn't you see the damn crater?!"

"But that wasn't you…" The Elder tried.

Honoka knew it was a lame attempt, but Nagisa beat her to speaking, again. "It. Doesn't. Matter. Everyone's _treating_ us like we did it! If they catch you here we'll go to jail, or probably a nuthouse! That way there doesn't even have to be a trial!"

"Calm down, Nagisa!" Honoka countered. "Elder. . . she has a point. Without Mipple and Mepple, I don't see what we can do."

". . . very well." The Elder said. "But we can't move freely in the Garden of Rainbows. So know this, Precure -" Both girls winced at the use of their title. "The Queen of Light was wounded by the last act of the Dark King. To preserve her existence, she has split into her Life, her Heart, and her Wills, the Twelve Heartiels. Find the Life of the Queen, and you may find a way to restore your partners. . . after which, you may find new girls to take up your mantle, and you will be free, if you so wish."

Nagisa took a few deep breaths. "Just...find the Life of the Queen, and it's all over?"

"If you so wish."

Nagisa and Honoka glanced at each other. "Deal. What does she look like?"

Wisdom winced at the intensity in Honoka's voice. "We have no idea-"

"WHAT?!" Nagisa shouted again, looking to throw the knife before realizing Honoka still had it.

Wisdom leaped back against the bed in alarm. "But she must be close by!"

Nagisa calmed herself down with a visible effort. "Fi..fine. But you two _go home_. If the police or my family gets a _whiff_ that a faerie was here. . . "

The two faeries nodded, and scrambled out the window.

Once they were gone, Nagisa collapsed onto her bed, seemingly drained of all her energy. "What do we do?"

* * *

Odajima Yuka had not been having a good year. It hadn't been bad, either, though. Not _exactly_. Starting as a new freshman at high school, without the reputation of 'Madonna' she had hoped to be ordinary for a bit longer, but her usual nature had won out when she had found herself joining multiple clubs. With her long brown hair, always perfectly styled and lightly decorated, the re-tailored uniform, and her perfect, trained-in elegance, she had no shortage of boys approaching her. It seemed she was on her way to the top of the school's pecking order.

Again.

She just couldn't help it, it seemed. But, there was something missing, ever since her graduation. And all these silly activities weren't filling the void anymore.

Although two men in black suits standing in front of a limo outside the high school, a limo that _wasn't hers_ , and flanking a man in a loud Hawaiian shirt with the same scary sunglasses wasn't her idea of a fix, it seemed it would have to do. Especially when the man waved her over and called her name. She did as he indicated, but couldn't quite help asking "And just where is my usual car?"

"He was told to go home," the man said. "You can just call me Jay. We'll be taking you home, if you wish." Before she could protest, he showed her a government ID. "You have a cell phone. Call whomever you want to confirm my story."

Eyeing him suspiciously, she did pull her phone out and quick-dialed her butler. Then, considering very carefully, she got in, followed by the rather suspiciously named 'Mister Jay.' "All right, what do you want to show me?"

"First, you must understand that this is classified at the highest levels, Miss Odajima. I would not be showing this to you if I had any other ideas on how to proceed. But, you are the closest person to them I can find who hasn't been involved in the recent. . . problems."

"What?" Yuka asked, bewildered.

Jay sighed. "First, promise that what you see doesn't leave this car."

"And if I don't?"

"You have a quiet ride in a government limo and never see me again," Jay replied. "Look, I'm not used to dealing with teenage girls, and I'm at the end of my rope with the ones I've got. If you want to see the show, just grab some tea. If not. . . well, snacks in the door, water, whatever you want?"

Yuka paused, before realizing there was a mini-fridge next to her foot. She opened it, and hesitated for a moment. Then, she pulled out the tea bottle, opened, it, and pointedly took as elegant a sip as possible.

Jay pushed a button next to himself. "What you're about to see is top secret footage of the Battle of Tokyo." The limo's interior dimmed, and a television in the roof started playing. "Not the stuff the news managed to get. Remember, you can't talk about this, especially with your classmates."

The cameras panned around, clearly showing the remains of the Seiko clock...it bounced around, making it hard to see what was going on, until Yuka realized the camera must have been embedded in a soldier's helmet. Also explaining the eerie silence – they probably couldn't capture audio. Slowly, the camera settled on two people and three little creatures…"The Pretty Cure?" she asked. "Well, yeah, everyone knows they were at the Battle."

Jay motioned her to keep watching, so she did.

The camera jarred again as the man wearing it moved in. . . and then the limo filled with blinding white light, causing Yuka to cry out in shock and pain. When it had faded enough for her to look again. "Yukishiro?! Misumi!?" She stared at Mister Jay. "THEY were the Pretty Cure?"

"Yep." He sighed. "And. . . well, things haven't been going well for them at school since. I don't know _how_ but news, or I guess rumors, leaked out."

Yuka looked down at the floor. "Take me to Misumi's house. I take it you know where it is."

* * *

Nagisa managed to focus on the way over to Honoka's house. "Man, I'm sorry Honoka. I've been . . . real bad today."

"It's not been a good day. A normal person would be running for the hills right now," she pointed out, twirling some of her black hair nervously. "Hey, look!" They were just coming up on the park, which had somehow survived the destruction intact. Cherry trees lined the path, their blossoms in full bloom, with nary a person in sight. "See! Isn't it. . . "

". . . beautiful," Nagisa replied, her voice full of wonder. ". . . this pack's getting heavy. Let's stop for a bit."

Honoka giggled. "Sure. It looks like no one's around, anyway." The idea of an empty park in Tokyo at the height of cherry blossom season would normally be positively ludicrous, but Honoka realized that, with the current situation, it was likely that everyone was leaving the city anyway. A Wednesday would be a bad time for blossom viewing, even (or especially) after school, so it could just be a fluke. So justifying it to herself, she led Nagisa deeper into the park and sat down, not caring about the grass stains on her uniform for once.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Nagisa sat down next to her and put an arm gently around her waist. "Th..thanks."

Honoka forced herself to relax. "It's no problem."

For a long time, neither of them spoke. The sun slowly going down, the sky turning from blue to orange. Honoka couldn't help but feel the tension slowly flowing out of Nagisa's body until finally, she seemed to mostly be her normal self. For another few minutes they stayed like that, until Nagisa finally broke the silence. "Hey…" she trailed off, sounding uncertain. "Why won't you let me join the Science Club?"

Honoka braced herself. "I...they've asked me not to submit any projects for competition this year," she said, finally. "They didn't kick me out, but they don't want my name out there either. They . . . think it would hurt our chances."

". . . I see."

Honoka smiled. "You know, I do have spare transfer forms for Lumieres."

"My parents would never go for it," Nagisa replied. "But. . . thank you. Do what you have to, okay?"

Honoka was about to tell her friend what she thought of _that_ idea when a wind suddenly blew through the garden, blinding them with dust and cherry blossoms. When they could next see, they weren't alone. The blonde girl had returned, this time mere feet away from them. "Greetings." The girl's voice was soft, and somewhat distant. "I...feel like I know you."

Nagisa's jaw dropped. "What the-who are you?!"

The girl seemed to take a moment to think about the answer. "I am. . . I am Hikari. At least, that's what she said."

"She?" Honoka asked, nearly as alarmed as Nagisa.

". . . she said many things," the apparently newly-named Hikari said. "That you could teach me many things, about who I am." There was another long pause, where Honoka and Nagisa didn't seem to know what to say. "...there is much to do. I should go."

Without warning, the wind picked up again, distinctly blowing down the path again and kicking up more dust. When the girls could open their eyes, Hikari had vanished again.

Suddenly, Nagisa was standing up. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Honoka asked, getting to her feet more slowly.

"The way the wind was blowing! _That's where Akane's food truck is!_ "

* * *

Yuka stepped out of the limo, and was surprised to feel, more than see, Mister Jay behind her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man. "What's wrong?"

"There should be someone home," he explained. "The little brother, or the mother, at least. The house is empty."

Yuka blinked. "You can tell that from out here?"

"That's easy enough if you know how. This is weird," Jay said. "Stay behind me." He took the lead, pulling out a pistol – a rare sight in Japan. The front door was unlocked, all the lights off. He went forward, letting Yuka follow behind, and slowly turned into the kitchen. "Odd. Look." There was a note, crumpled and abandoned on the floor, and a drawer full of cutlery was left abandoned. He glanced down at the ground. ". . . sneaker marks? Whatever happened spooked someone enough to forget to take off their shoes." Yuka's jaw dropped while Mister Jay picked up the note and smoothed it out. "They were out shopping. . . so that explains everyone but Misumi and Yukishiro."

Yuka blinked, surprised again. "Yukishiro was here too? How do you know that?"

"She wouldn't be anywhere else but with Misumi, if my guess about their current mental state is correct," Mister Jay moved on, down the hallway, checking each room on the first floor as they got there until they reached the last one in the hall.

The girl gasped as she realized the door had been kicked in, the wood of the door frame. splintering. "N-Nagisa did _that_?"

"People are capable of surprising things, when they're afraid." Mister Jay gently nudged the door open, swinging his pistol around...until he spotted the knife on the bed. Yuka saw it shortly after he did, and screamed. "Oh, relax. It wasn't used. No blood." He looked around again. "And there, in the corner, you can see that there's a gap in the pile of 'stuff.' If I had to guess, Miss Misumi was panicked by something. . . but whatever it was turned out to be deemed 'harmless' and - "

Yuka screamed again, pointing at the window. Mister Jay didn't hesitate, whipping his pistol around and firing three times at the hunched-over, white haired _thing_ peeking in the window. "God damn it!" he screamed, running over to it to check, but the creature was gone, not even leaving footprints.

"What...what was that!?" Yuka shouted at him with terror plainly written on her face.

Mister Jay shook his head. "What I was afraid of. We need to find them, fast."

". . . if there was a pack," Yuka said nervously, but obviously fighting to put on a composed demeanor. "Then it's quite likely Misumi was going to spend the night at Yukishiro's house."

Mister Jay looked at her. "Not bad, kid. Let's go."

* * *

Honoka and Nagisa ran up to the food truck. The counter wasn't open, since Akane wasn't due to reopen the store for another day, but she was outside, polishing the paint job along with a certain blonde girl. The former Verone academy student, now an adult and running her own mobile restaurant. "Hey, Nagisa, Honoka!" she waved. "We're not open yet, but I can whip up something real quick I guess!"

"That's not why we're here!" Nagisa said, giving Hikari a death glare. "Who. Are. You?"

Akane blinked. "Um...this is...uhh.." She trailed off blankly, staring at the girl for a moment before turning back to them. "Uh...Kujou Hikari," she said at last, her tone returning to normal. "She's my...ah...uhm…" Again she turned to the girl and stared at her for a few moments with the same blank expression before looking back to the pair. "Cousin! Yes, she's my cousin, and she's moved in with me while she goes to Verone since she doesn't have a place of her own and her parents don't think she's ready for that."

Honoka and Nagisa stared at each other in resignation as the bizarre scene played out. "Hikari. . . what did you do to Akane?" Honoka asked her.

"What?"

Nagisa stalked past Akane to grab the girl by the shoulder, although she was careful not to be rough. "What did you _do_? We know you're not her cousin."

"OW!" Hikari shouted, despite the fact that Nagisa knew she couldn't be holding the girl that hard. "What are you saying? I didn't - "

"That's quite enough," A deeper voice, one Honoka and Nagisa knew all too well, shouted. Everyone stared over at Mister Jay. . . and one other.

"Odajima!" Nagisa shouted. "What are you doing here?!"

Yuka stared at them. "I. . . I heard. . . I just wanted to help."

Nagisa felt her throat go dry. "I...uh…"

Hikari managed to wriggle free from the older girl's grip. "I . . I didn't do anything! What's going on? Honoka, Nagisa?" The blonde girl looked at the pair, utterly bewildered. "Please…"

Mister Jay sounded as cold and serious as any of his usual 'coworkers' when he said "I don't recognize you, Blondie. Step away, slowly."

Akane managed to find her voice. "This is my _cousin!"_ she shouted angrily. "I want to see some identification."

"Fujita Akane, _you do not have a cousin!_ " Jay said back calmly. "This entity is no relation of yours."

"How can you _say_ that?!" Akane wailed plaintively. "What's going on?"

Honoka stepped around Akane and up to the girl. "Please, Hikari, you have to tell us the truth."

"I. . . I don't know!" Hikari said softly, looking on the edge of tears. "I don't. . . I don't remember anything."

Nagisa swallowed. "I think. . . she's telling the truth."

Jay nodded. "I'll accept that. . . but she needs to come with me."

"What?!" Honoka and Nagisa said at the same time.

Jay stared at them. "I believe she doesn't know _what_ she is, but you saw what happened just now. She needs to be isolated until we can determine if she's safe."

"NO!" Hikari screamed. "DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME!"

Suddenly there was a flash of light….and Mipple and Mepple were awake in their mascot forms and in their partner's hands. "What...what just happened?" Honoka asked.

Mipple looked over her shoulder. "Never mind that-Mipo! Transform-Mipo!"

Jay cocked his pistol. "Girls, I _don't want to hurt any of you_ but you're not giving me a lot of options."

For almost a minute they stared at each other, until Yuka's voice cut through the silence. ". . . last year." Everyone stared at her, puzzled. "Last year, when I woke up in that junkyard. Was that you?" she asked, staring directly at Nagisa, who nodded. "And you two saved my life?" She nodded again. Yuka seemed to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly shot out in front of Mister Jay, spreading her arms out wide defensively. "Do it! Pretty Cure!"

Jay stared at her in shock. "Odajima, _get out of the way!_ "

"No," Yuka said. She glanced back over her shoulder. "What are you two waiting for?! _Do it!_ "

Honoka and Nagisa didn't need to be told again. "DUAL AURORA WAVE!"

Mister Jay dove to the right to try to shoot around the girl, but it was too late, a rainbow pillar falling from the sky and obscuring them. When it cleared, Cure Black and Cure White had returned. "We won't let you harm this girl!" Black declared.

White nodded. "Return to the place whence you came!"

Yuka's jaw dropped as if, despite all the evidence, she really needed to see the transformation herself to believe it. "You. . . you really are. . . "

Jay stopped, obviously considering his options. ". . . I can't take on girls who can ride a goddamn missile like a surfboard," he decided. "But please, think about what you're doing. There's still time to pretend none of this happened. Just . . . let me take her and make sure she's no real threat."

"No deal, Jay!" Black said. "Get out of here."

Jay tried again. "If you do this there's no protection left! You'll really be criminals this time. Terrorists, or worse!"

White shook her head. "Everyone was already thinking it anyway."

"What do you _want?_ "

Black was the one who answered. "To put it all right. . . but since we can't, we'll _do_ what's right."

Jay sniffed, holstering his pistol. "As you wish. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He turned, and almost walked away without another word. ". . . Miss Odajima, you should be aware that there's too much of a record of our association. I am sorry for dragging you into this, but I suggest you at least come with me now. I'll take you home."

Yuka shook her head. "No. I'm staying with Misumi."

". . . you're a bunch of idiots, you know that?"

Yuka grinned. "I believe that is true." Finally, the man in the loud Hawaiian shirt started walking to his limo, seeming somehow defeated while she turned back to the others and spoke, quietly. "I'm sure my father can protect us for awhile, at least until we come to some other arrangement. I'm pretty sure there isn't actually a law about. . . what happened today. Yet."

Nagisa gave her a tired smile. "Thanks, Odajima."

"Call me Yuka. . . Nagisa," the named girl responded. "We need to get going."

* * *

Nagisa grinned as she walked through the gate. "Wow, this is a huge place!" She skipped ahead. "Is this yours?"

Yuka couldn't resist a smile. "It's my father's. For tonight, you're welcome to stay here. Both of you." She glanced up at the one window in the far corner. "I need to speak to him, but please, make yourselves at home."

Honoka glanced over her shoulder. "Yuka, we can't stay. Mister Jay. . . "

"Can't possibly have as much power as he's letting you think," Yuka countered. "Father's taught me well about how to deal with his kind. Of course, he was talking about an investigation into corporate crime, but I'm sure the principle's the same."

"It's NOT!" Honoka shouted.

Yuka smiled. "Your friends had better hope it is," she pointed out. "But if you're so worried, we'll all go."

Hikari stared at them all, looking quietly terrified. "What's going on? Nagisa? Did I do something wrong?"

The brown-haired girl started, looking around for rescue from any quarter, but all of her companions seemed just as stunned by the outburst as she was, finally she broke and gave the girl a gentle hug. "Yes. . . you did, but you didn't know you were doing it. Honoka and I aren't mad at you."

"Th...thanks," Hikari said, gently embracing the human. "The voice said you'd take care of me. . . "

Nagisa closed her eyes to hide the small tears starting to form. "As long as we can, from whatever we can."

A booming male voice called out "And that, I suppose, is where I come in," Everyone turned, startled, to see a slightly older gentleman. While his hair had once been much the same color as Yuka's, it was now speckled with the beginnings of gray. "Daughter, I just got a phone call."

Yuka swallowed. "I can explain, father. . . "

"I told him to shove it where the sun don't shine!" Mister Odajima shouted suddenly. "If he wants to tell you girls what to do, he can come here with a damn warrant or an adoption certificate. That's when he admitted he had one. . . which is kinda strange, since you both have living parents." The man smirked. "Don't worry. . . you two. . . three. . . " his eyes narrowed, as suddenly he realized the small 'plush toys' were moving ". . . six?" There was a round of nervous chuckles. "Six can stay here while that gets sorted. . . and if your parents object, my lawyers will keep _them_ tied up over this too!"

Honoka's voice lowered to barely a whisper. "Why?"

"Because, last year you helped all of us. Even if _some_ people aren't grateful, it's time _we_ helped you."


	3. Unlikely Meetings

Over a year later, Yuka found she hadn't regretted her decision in the slightest. Which was something of a surprise, considering their living arrangements. Staying at the mansion had lasted for almost six months of hunting down the Heartiels before word had come down from her father that legal recourses were wearing thin. However, that had just meant he needed to get . . . _creative_ with shell companies. Hence the four girls' current accommodations.

No more fancy tea parties or butlers, instead they were housed at a resort quite a ways outside Tokyo. In order to hide their numbers, the seven of them had to share these suites and, occasionally, single rooms, but with the time the Heartiel search had taken, by now it was also becoming clear that the tiny faeries had probably left Tokyo.

As it stood, collecting nine of the twelve had been something of a miracle.

But today was a day to relax. Yuka set down the bottles of tea on the table in the middle of the room. Honoka and Nagisa were sitting on the couch, practically cuddling, while Hikari kept an eye on the windows and the road below the beach side resort. Mipple and Mepple were cuddling up in a corner in a way that was much more obvious than their human counterparts, while Porun (thankfully) slept. "Well, the good news is that father's deposit came through. The numbers all added up again."

Honoka sighed. "I still say we should change the code. Mister Jay will catch on eventually if we keep using something so obvious as classical numerology."

Nagisa grinned. "Relax. It's worked out so far. . . "

Mipple popped out of his cell phone form. "I don't get why we have to keep moving around like this-Mipo!"

Nagisa sighed. "We have been over this."

Hikari winced, as she always did when this topic came up. As it seemed to every other day. However, it seemed Yuka was tired of it, because she finally snapped at him "Mipple, you know very well that Mister Jay wants to do bad things to Hikari, _and quite likely the rest of you faeries as well_. Please do not bring up that topic again. It does not do to dwell upon it."

"DUCK!" Hikari said, throwing herself under the window suddenly.

Despite being on the fourth floor, Nagisa rolled Honoka off the couch, leaving them hidden from view from the door if needed. Yuka stepped up to the window, peering out and noting the black stretch limo drive down the road, and past the hotel's turnoff. "False alarm,"

"Porun is scared-popo!" the little blue fairy declared, woken by the sudden call to action.

Hikari gathered him up in her arms. "It's okay," she said, hugging him. "We're all scared."

Honoka sat up slowly. "Should we move on? That's entirely too close timing to be coincidence."

Yuka swallowed. "Hikari? Are you _sure_ it was one of theirs?"

"Well, no…" The blonde admitted. "But after I missed the last one. . . "

Yuka nodded. "I will admit they're pretty distinctive. You don't normally see cars like that at random." She considered. "Maybe it's time to change it up a bit. We could stay at a temple for a few weeks."

Everyone glanced at everyone else. "Is it private enough?"

"If Jay's caught on to the hotel trick, it may have to be." Yuka countered. "I'll make the call."

* * *

The city of Yuunagi gave off every appearance of being a peaceful, seaside town. Near Kamakura, it had only two things to recommend it to outsiders - the beach, and the temples leading to the Sky Tree. That suited the residents just fine, allowing the majority of the tourists to go to the bigger towns surrounding it.

It was well known by now that the public middle school was hiding some kind of secret, but the occasional black limos and vans pulling up didn't bother anybody anymore. They certainly didn't bother the two people they were there for.

Thus, when this one came up, Hyuuga Saki barely paid attention. Clad in an orange shirt and yellow shorts, the colors of the school sports team, she adjusted her hat to get some of her orange hair out of her eyes. Half the time they were just dropping off messages, so she just motioned for the next batter. "All right!" she said, cheerfully. "That's seven strikeouts in a row. Who's next?" As the next girl stepped up, she glanced to her friend, Mishou Mai.

She had already changed out of her school uniform, wearing a white dress that contrasted nicely with her dark purple hair and matching eyes. She had a drawing pad, and was sketching. . . something. Saki always found it hard to tell. She gave her friend an ignored thumbs up, then wound up for the pitch.

"HYUUGA SAKI! MISOU MAI! PLEASE REPORT TO THE OFFICE!" And she fumbled the toss as the loudspeaker interrupted.

Saki just sighed. "Oh well. We're almost done anyway. Can you guys finish up without me?" After getting a round of assent from the team, she started walking towards the office, not bothering with the change room.

Mister Jay didn't like to wait, and he usually did it anyway so he wouldn't interrupt. This had to be important. Thus, Saki didn't notice when two girls hiding in the treeline turned and walked into the woods at the edge of the outfield.

* * *

The hotel laundry room was deserted, as it should be on a weekday at a beach resort in the early spring. Nagisa quietly stood by, watching the window as best as she could while Yuka did the equally tedious work of sorting through the group's laundry. "I'm just glad the attacks by the Dark guys have finally stopped," she commented.

"Yes, that is rather fortunate," Yuka said. "Although we don't have an explanation for why that might be, which is. . . "

Nagisa snorted. "Don't jinx it. It makes staying ahead of Mister Jay that much easier. I think this is the first time we've had to move on the day we got somewhere in two months."

"Ten weeks, four days," Yuka clarified in her calm voice. "But if the Dark is really defeated, that also means that our pursuer has more time to chase us. It may be time to consider leaving the country."

Nagisa started, distracted from her task. "Are you serious? And how would we even do that?"

Yuka said "I would suggest…" before trailing off and starting again. "...my father's plan was to take a ship to South Korea, and from there fly to and apply for asylum in Sweden."

Nagisa sighed. "I guess it's a plan," she agreed with only a minimum of grousing, returning to her overwatch. A few more minutes passed in silence before she finally decided to ask the burning question. "Yuka, why are you still helping us?"

"Eh?" The girl seemed taken aback by the question.

Nagisa persisted. "Your father's still rich. Honoka told me the other day that the longer you stay with us like this, the worse you'll look if it ever gets in front of a courthouse. But you're still here. I thought you hated me back in school." Yuka just made some spluttering noises, blushing. "It always seemed like I could never do anything right."

Finally, unable to take it any more, Yuka let out a giggle. "Nagisa, it was never like that. I was just mad that you always seemed to make me lose control of my 'image.' It's so silly now. . . especially since. . . " her voice went soft. "It was actually awhile ago that I figured it out. But I didn't want to say anything. . . "

"Say anything about what?"

". . . Misumi Nagisa, I love you."

It was Nagisa's turn to splutter incoherently. "Yuka! Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Does it really matter?" Yuka asked pointedly. "Whatever the reason, we're all stuck with each other. But you really are beautiful. . . " Nagisa blushed a bright red. "And. . . like I said, it doesn't matter."

"But it _does!_ " Nagisa insisted, turning away from the window. "I . . . er.. . "

Yuka giggled softly. "Honoka, I know. But. . . "

". . . what a couple of idiots we are," Nagisa agreed after a few moment's thought. ". . . are you saying you want to. . . try to . . . " words failed her – she had always been more inclined to action than any of the others.

So she was surprised when Yuka pulled her into a gentle embrace and kissed her. For the longest time, neither of them moved, and when they finally did, Yuka's smile was even sadder. "Even if you say 'no' . . . please let me have that and not be mad."

Nagisa was now beyond blushing, nearly the color of a tomato. "Y..yeah, sure."

* * *

Saki and Mai took their usual seats in the principal's office. Mister Jay was already waiting for them. "Sorry to pull you out of practice, girls, but I need to be back in Tokyo and this couldn't wait."

Mai smiled at him. "It's all right. Saki was almost done with practice, and your assistance in the past few months has been appreciated."

Jay gave her a quick nod. "Things are still going well? No issues with classmates?"

Saki shrugged. "A little bit of teasing, but nothing I can't handle. I think they kind of suspect something's up, but they're not making a big deal of it."

"Good, good." Jay said, then turned soberly serious. "Actually, it's two of your classmates I need to discuss. The Kiryuu sisters."

Saki blinked in surprise. "What about them?"

He sighed. This wasn't good. "We ran a background check on them. Strictly routine, you understand. It _should_ have been quiet, and no one would ever needed to have known." He held up his hands. "Girls, you must understand that there are some seriously deranged people who wouldn't like that you're our best defense. . . "

Mai put a hand on Saki's shoulder. "We understand, sir. Please, what did you find."

"Nothing."

Both girls sighed in relief.

Jay shook his head. "You misunderstand. We couldn't find _anything_ outside of the records in the school. And when we did a handwriting check on those, they turned out to have been written by the vice principal. The schools they claimed to have attended didn't exist, and there is no notice of their names in any of the national registries. Its' taken us _two months_ and we came up with nothing." The girls were now staring at him. "We can only conclude that the pair are youkai."

Saki laughed. "What are you saying?"

Jay looked at her. "You're already aware this isn't the first time youkai have attempted to infiltrate society, Miss Hyuuga." Saki choked at the use of her name. "Now, it's simple. They may not be a threat. They may just be curious, they may even be allies. But it's _my_ job to make sure nothing from. . . beyond. . . is wandering about without us knowing about it. All you need to do is ask them to talk to me."

The two girls glanced at each other, and nodded. Mai spoke first. "Well, I guess they were a little off at first. They're good friends now, but . . . "

Saki grinned. "Yeah. I bet they're just outsiders. We'll just find them at home and talk."

Mai looked down pensively. "What about the . . . _others._ Last time you were here you said you had a lead."

Jay smiled. "Eh, didn't pan out, but they haven't been active since we got the other one. Let's just focus on the problems in Yuunagi, let the science boys deal with the big picture, and put four girls _that_ determined to play hooky out of our minds, huh?" And then he gave them one of his big belly laughs as he walked out the door.

* * *

The cavernous tower of the Dark Fall, situated in the middle of an otherworldly ocean eternally wracked by storms, stretched out into the grey sky. The interior gave off a dark blue light, but to the Kiryuu sisters, Michiru and Kaorou, it was. . . home.

They wore identical school uniforms, and identical expressions, and nearly identical ways of moving. Despite their red and blue hair, they almost seemed like twins. The pair looked to the short green entity floating before them, and addressed him at the same time. "Gyoza."

"Girls. . . there's a new threat." He made a gesture and an illusion of three girls appeared. For a moment, Kaorou thought there was a mistake, but then she noticed the differences that marked the differences between their 'classmates' and these new girls. The third, of course, had her blonde hair and would be easy to find. "I sense a great power from these three. Obtain it, or destroy it. But do not allow your identities to be uncovered by the Pretty Cure."

"As you wish, Gyoza," the pair said, and left. Cold, distant. Just as always.

* * *

"Is this a good idea?" Honoka couldn't help herself from asking, although she was wearing the cute little one-piece Yuka had insisted on buying for her awhile back. "I mean, we've got tickets for the next train to Kyoto…"

Yuka sighed. "I couldn't actually get us the next train. Green car only."

Honoka glanced at her nervously. "We've always been fine taking the Green Car when we were in a pinch."

Yuka shook her head. "I think we used it too often lately."

There was a brief silence, and then Honoka spoke. "How's the money situation? I mean, how is it really?"

Yuka sighed. "Father's stopped refilling most of the accounts. He hasn't sent any of the meeting signals yet, but he must think they're catching on and trying not to worry us."

Honoka glanced out at the ocean, where Nagisa and Hikari were playing in the surf. "Is that why you were so insistent on switching to staying in temple?"

"They're cheaper than family hotels, and not as cramped as business rooms," Yuka replied with a certain blandness Honoka had come to recognize as hiding her true concerns. "Plus I heard from certain people that they aren't as monitored as hotels are, so we can probably shut ourselves up in one for a month." She grinned in a slightly silly manner that belied her usual seriousness. "Maybe even get Nagisa some of that balance she desperately needs."

Honoka giggled at that. "So, what time _did_ you get tickets for?"

Yuka winced. "About eight."

"Oh." Honoka looked at her, nonplussed. "All right, I guess we can find dinner then. Pity we can't cook it ourselves in the single, if money's tight."

"Just for a little while!" Yuka protested. "Father's company is still doing quite well. And last time I talked to him he said Mister Yotsuba promised a buyout if things got too hot. My company may not be too big for the government to fight toe-to-toe, but _his_ is."

Honoka was definitely impressed. "Even I've heard of them. As long as we keep Hikari away from them, we can probably last for years this way." She stood up with a stretch. "I just wish I could do science club."

Yuka frowned, opening her wallet. "If we stretch, I can just about afford a laptop when we pass through Kyoto. Maybe you could start writing or something instead." She frowned, glancing at the timetables. "It's going to be an all-nighter tonight anyway."

"Eurgh." Honoka made a face. "Keep Nagisa away from the tea before midnight, then. Is there a good hotel near the station?"

Yuka sighed. "None that I know of. I guess we can try a guidebook, but it's starting to be travel season. We're lucky I found out about the temple."

"We'll double-up then." Honoka declared. "I'll room with Nagisa." Yuka was about to voice a protest, but Honoka caught the expression. "Not okay?"

"Uhm…"

Honoka giggled. "I am well aware of Honoka's feelings but it makes her happy."

Yuka shook her head. "Well, I was kind of hoping. . . "

"Oh…" Honoka smiled. "Ah...does she…"

"Told her while we were doing laundry," Yuka said softly, blushing again at the memory. "We can let her decide then."

"Agreed." Honoka stood up. "I'll go get something for the evening meal."

Yuka thought about that for a moment. "Maybe we can get deliv...no, you're right." she glanced at the other girls, still playing in the surf. "I just wish we could have one last nice night before we tighten our belts a little."

"The longer we put it off, the harder it will be," Honoka declared definitively. Then she smiled. "Why don't you go out and join them?"

"Huh?!" Yuka's shock was obvious enough to make Honoka giggle.

"An evening playing will mean more than another fancy meal like we had when we were living with you."

Yuka grinned. "...yeah." She stood up and pulled off her cover-up, rushing to join the others while Honoka looked on contentedly. Yuka made it into the surf without being spotted, whereupon she promptly sunk under the waves.

Unaware, Hikari was trying to shield herself from repeated splashings by her athletic friend. "Nagisaaa!" she cried out, trying vainly to splash back. She shrieked in the classic display of mixed delight and dismay that Yuka had come to associate with kids at play. Something she felt compelled to leave behind in elementary school, if not earlier.

Nagisa suddenly found herself breathing in a mouthful of water as the older girl decided 'to heck with that.' Coughing, she looked over at her in shock. "Yuka?!"

"Surprise," came the deadpan answer, before another splash took Nagisa off her feet.

Yuka was quickly splashed in turn by the forgotten blonde girl, who was now grinning mischievously.

As the scene rapidly descended into a watery bedlam, Honoka grinned but kept up her watch. She wished the seven of them could all be together and just have fun like that, but it just wasn't possible. For one thing, Mepple and Mipple, given half a chance, would start making googly eyes at one another, just like they were while secluded underneath their umbrella. She appreciated the fact that they were in love, but even with how serious things had turned, they were still too easily distracted to be relied upon to watch for problems. Especially by each other.

At least Porun, floating out in the surf and getting batted around with the splashes, seemed to be a toddler.

And it wasn't just men in black suits that had to be watched for – the faeries themselves were suspicious enough that ordinary people might call them out. So when two girls with red and blue hair started casually walking down the beach, Honoka knew the plan. "Nagisa! Yuka!"

Everyone in the water looked up. Hikari quickly collected Porun, who played dead, and they all started making their way back onto the sand. Everything just as always. And then the blue-haired girl thrust her hand at Honoka, palm out, and a black wave of energy blew her through the umbrella and knocked her off her feet.

Michiru didn't wait for Nagisa and Hikari to react, spinning on her feet and repeating Kaoru's attack at them. Nagisa managed to push Hikari out of the way only by tackling her to the ground, while Yuka looked on in horror. "The 'mysterious power' you carry. Surrender it to us."

Honoka pushed herself to her feet, slowly. "We've been running for over a year!" she shouted at them. She watched as Porun crept his way to Hikari's hand. _Way to go, Porun,_ she thought. "What makes you think we'd give up our friends to you?"

Kaoru gave her a hard frown. "Friendship is meaningless." Honoka found herself on the wrong end of another burst of magic, thrown back another five feet.

"No, it's not." Hikari shouted, standing up with Porun in her arms. "LUMINOUS SHINING STREAM!" A pillar of golden light erupted from the ground beneath her feet, her short hair growing out in wild streams towards the ground, and her swimsuit replaced by a long pink dress. "I am the sparkle of life! In the name of the Heart's Light and the Heart's Will, for the sake of uniting us as one! SHINY LUMINOUS!" A heart-shaped device, studded in gems and looking utterly ridiculous to anyone not familiar with magic, appeared in her hand. Michiru and Kaoru appeared stunned by the sudden change.

Kaoru spoke first. "...incredible!"

"Impossible!" Michiru added, staring at the girl's transformation. Her senses felt that this wasn't just some 'mysterious power', the girl seemed literally unreal to her inhuman senses.

"Luminous…" It started to glow, taking further advantage of their temporary paralysis. "HEARTIEL ACTION!" A wave of rainbow light poured over the two girls, freezing them in place. "Honoka, Nagisa!"

Meanwhile, the others hadn't been idle. Mepple and Mipple had both managed to wriggle their way out from under the umbrella, and met Honoka and Nagisa at the midpoint between them. They all moved into position while the two newcomers surrounded themselves in a black aura, trying to break free of Luminous' spell. "DUAL AURORA WAAAAVE!"

Kaoru and Michiru managed to break free just as the transformation finished.

"Emissary of Light, Cure Black!"

"Emissary of Light, Cure White!"

White felt a smile creep across her lips as she finally had a chance to use the familiar, comforting words. "Servants of the Dark Zone…"

"Return to the Darkness from whence you came!" Black finished, a note of triumph in her voice. "Man, been awhile since we could do that."

Michiru and Kaoru looked puzzled. "Dark Zone? What are you talking about?" the redhead asked.

"We're from the Dark Fall," Kaoru added. "Sister, do you think a mistake has been made?"

Michiru shook her head. "We were ordered to get our hands on this power. Even if it's not the same, we cannot fail in this mission with everything else happening."

Luminous stared at the pair of them. "Please, why not?" She approached, cautiously, smiling at the two girls. "I can tell you're not like the other people of this planet. I'm tired too. I haven't really met very many of these humans. But Honoka and Nagisa can help you. I can help you."

Kaoru finally began to struggle against the magic holding her. "Don't you understand! We're here to claim the power of the Land of Greenery for Dark Fall! That's our mission!"

Michiru glared angrily at Luminous as well. "The things you're offering are meaningless. The humans will oppose us at every turn, no matter what we do."

Luminous shook her head. "Not all of them. Trust me. Trust _us._ Please. I know what you carry within you," Both of the dark faeries looked at her, startled. "I have a little of the power of creation within me. Sustaining you without that power would be hard, but I can do it."

"STAY AWAY FROM THEM!" A pair of voices shouted from above. Luminous leaped back behind Cures Black and White, while they took a protective formation in front of her. Michiru and Kaoru were as surprised as anyone when two more Pretty Cure landed between them and the group they had come to assault. The resemblance between the two pairs was almost uncanny, with their outfits almost being mirror images. The new Cures were somewhat wilder, but beyond that they seemed identical at first glance. The one in white spoke first. "Those who desecrate the Holy Fountains…"

"...stop your cruel behavior!" the other finished.

Black stared at her counterpart in shock. "More Pretty Cure!?"

"It doesn't matter!" White said, snapping up. "You two didn't see! They attacked us!"

The new white-clad Cure smirked. "We know all about you, Cure White. We won't fall for any of your petty tricks! I'm sure your 'friend' there was just brainwashing them like she did to you."

Black snarled. "Hikari did _not_ brainwash us! And who the hell are you, anyway?"

Her counterpart grinned at her. "The shining golden flower, Cure Bloom."

"And the sparkling silver wing, Cure Egret."

White nodded to Black, and the pair surged forward, punching as one. . . their fists encountering gold and silver force-fields. "What?" Bloom and Egret followed up with magically-charged fists that blew them back towards Luminous with a grunt.

Luminous wasn't idle, pulling out her baton for another attempt to use the Heartiel Action, but Bloom and Egret were too fast, leaping forward with elegant, almost dance-like grace over the fallen bodies of the other two. . .

Only to get blasted in the back by dark energy. Without grounding, Bloom and Egret were sent flying past Luminous and into the sand near Yuka. Michiru and Kaoru had broken free. "I'm afraid this is too important to leave to chance."

Egret managed to get to her knees, staring at the pair in utter horror. "What? But, you were…"

"Yes, we were agents of Dark Fall the whole time," Kaoru said, her voice suddenly dead. "But the power of this 'Shiny Luminous' will make the whole struggle moot. With her at our side, the Land of Greenery will be destroyed."

Black managed to pull herself to her knees, but she was smirking like crazy. "Wow, you've got the wrong girl. Luminous can't destroy anything."

Bloom forced herself to her feet. "Heh. You're all the same to me. All trying to destroy the world in your own stupid ways. Well, we won't let any of you have your way."

"Please, stop this!" Luminous said, her voice cracking. "There's no need for this."

White shook her head. "Hikari. . . we have to protect you from them."

"Wake UP Honoka!" Bloom shouted at her. "She got to you! That isn't what you really think!"

Black sighed. "They've been listening to Mister Jay." She glanced at Michiru and Kaoru. "Are you sure about this?" They nodded. "White. Luminous." Black's partners nodded grimly.

Bloom turned her attention to Michiru and Kaoru. "If you know who we are, please, just listen. We're your friends."

"We were never friends," Kaoru replied coolly. "We were just spies."

"It's no use," Egret sighed. "We're going to have to punch some sense into all of you."

For almost a minute, there was no sound but the crashing of the ocean waves.

Unsurprisingly, White got it first, and smiled. "Hikari. Yuka. Get out of here. Slowly, no one make any sudden moves." Black looked like she was about to object, but then she relaxed slightly with a smile. "Right. We'll catch up."

Bloom took a step forward threateningly, and was cut off by a cutting string of blackness. "We can't allow her to leave."

White turned her attention to the 'evil' faeries in human guise. "Even at risk of hurting her? We all know you won't do that."

Luminous swallowed. "Are you sure you won't let me-" She was cut off as Bloom took to the sky with a jump. She scrambled backwards as the other Cure descended towards her, before White took off. Bloom barely got her shield up in time, pushing back and forcing White to the ground. The latter easily landed on her feet, knees bent and ready to strike again, but Bloom pulled her fist back, charged with energy.

She completely missed that Black had jumped up behind White, using her partner as cover. Left open, she took a blow to her shoulder and screamed, falling to the ground hard.

Egret flew in, trying to land a hand on Black to return her partner's injury, but at the last second noticed that Michiru and Kaoru were taking advantage of the distraction to inch towards the prize and used a burst of magic to change direction to land in front of the pair.

Unamused, the Kiryuu sisters simply blasted her out of the way. She would have landed in a crumpled heap, but she found herself being carried gently in White's arms and set down. "What?"

White smiled at her warmly. "Please, just stay down for awhile."

"Why are you being so _stubborn_?" Egret asked. "Don't you get that 'beautiful faerie' is controlling your mind?"

White shook her head. "No, she isn't. She never did that to anyone on purpose."

While this was going on, Black had taken up a position defensively between Luminous and the Kiryuus, who seemed unamused. "Do you really think that you can stop us without your partner?" Kaoru asked coolly.

Black smirked. "No time like the present to find out." Michiru drove in with an empowered fist of her own. Black took it in the solar plexus and barely flinched. "Heh," she said, her voice a bit pained. "If I'm prepared for it, that doesn't hurt _nearly_ as much."

Michiru stared at her in shock. "What _are_ you?"

"I'm Cure Black, and we don't need nearly as many tricks as you do to fight, it looks like." And with that, it was on. Despite her boasting, Black realized she was in trouble quickly – individually those energy punches and kicks weren't really a problem, but they added up quickly. And worse, every time she tried to return the favor, her hits bounced off another magical shield.

"Still think the power of the Dark Fall is just _tricks?_ " Kaoru snarled, before landing a particularly nasty kick on Black's kidneys. "Michiru, go. I can keep her occupied from here."

Black reached out to try to grab her, but Michiru quickly stepped around and started walking towards Luminous.

Black turned back to her opponent. "I won't let you have her."

"Why do you _care_ anyway?" Kaoru asked, seeming puzzled. "She doesn't seem to command you, she has nothing you want, and yet you'd throw your life away for her."

"If you have to ask…" Black said, brushing some blood away from her lip, "...it's not something you can understand."

Luminous took a few steps backwards, her wand at the ready as Michiru approached. "Please, you don't have to do this!"

Michiru seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Even if I agreed to your plan, Dark Fall would hunt us down."

"They can join the club," Luminous said, somewhat bitterly. "I . . . I hate these people. I just want to be left alone."

Michiru shook her head. "That's impossible. It is in your nature that humans want what you have."

Luminous swallowed. "Maybe, but Honoka and Nagisa and Yuka don't. They've sacrificed so much for me. . . "

Michiru looked at her calmly. "If you come quietly with us, you will not need to hide from the humans who hunt you and your friends will be safe."

". . . I can't."

Michiru shrugged. "It will happen with or without your cooperation." She took another step forward, and suddenly Bloom was standing between them, her back to Luminous. ". . . step aside, Cure Bloom. This doesn't concern you anymore."

"Like HELL it doesn't!" Bloom shouted. "I don't like her, and what she did to Black and White and that girl is inexcusable, but she doesn't deserve what Dark Fall would do to her!"

Michiru blinked . . . and then slowly laughed. It was a strange, hollow sound coming from the normally near-emotionless girl. "You really think she's controlling them, don't you. You're a fool, Cure Bloom. Now, get out of my way."

Luminous swallowed. "Please, stop fighting. There's nothing about me that's worth this."

Michiru shook her head. "You know that's not true."

Luminous sighed. "Then, I'm sorry...Luminous!" She brought her wand up. . . but before she could channel the magic that would be necessary to freeze them in place, Egret fell in, driving an elbow into the back of her head. Shiny Luminous quickly lost consciousness, and reverted to being Hikari once more.

White was barely behind her, and this time she screamed in righteous fury. Egret quickly found herself being pushed back, her magical shield actually beginning to crack under the strain of the other Cure's blows. There was little technique, and no finesse. Just a straight pounding of a jackhammer. Egret fell to her knees. Bloom turned to help her, but in her moment of distraction, Cure Black was up again and in her face. With no time to put up a shield, Cure Black's kick caused the sound of splintering bone to echo across the beach.

"Don't!" White shouted. "Touch!" She reared back for a single finishing blow. "HIKARI!" Egret's shield shattered, and White finally connected, her fist sending her counterpart flying into the air and into an arc, landing several feet away where she didn't stir for a few moments. When she did, she forced herself to wobbling feet . . . only to suddenly find Michiru blocking her path. Kaoru jumped in behind her, and they quickly had her restrained. "Wh..what are you doing?!"

Michiru blinked, surprised by the question. "I . . . I don't know. . . "

Kaoru stared in shock. "When she screamed. . . "

"SEE!" Egret shouted at them. "You're not evil, you're not! I know you're not!"

The two Kiryuu sisters looked at her, then at each other. ". . . I don't know if we are evil. . . " Michiru said.

Kaoru completed the sentence "But you were going to hurt that girl. If that isn't evil. . . "

"What is?"

Egret felt herself being released, suddenly. She gasped for breath, as the pair moved in front of Black and White so quickly that there wasn't time to blink. "GO!" they shouted. "We'll think of something to say!" Michiru added.

White swallowed. "Dark Fall will kill you. Come with us!"

". . ." The pair blinked. . . then nodded. "For now."

But instead of running, a black sphere covered the whole group, and then vanished, leaving Egret alone on the beach, with Bloom swimming to shore.

For a very long time, it seemed, neither of them could speak, or even move. They said nothing, even to each other, when the black vans drove up to collect them.

* * *

Yuka stared around in absolute shock. "Wh..what is this place?"

It was a valid question. The sky, which on the beach had been a golden sunset, was grey, dismal, and almost uniform, as though covered by clouds so unimaginably thick there was no variation in them. The ground beneath them was covered in dead roots, tangled and twisted around. They all stood on an 'island' surrounded by a dry moat almost a mile wide, filled with the same decaying roots. Around the edges of the artificial dry lake bed were trees, equally devoid of life, stretching out as far as they could see and, yet, seeming to be only a few feet thick.

Michiru sighed. "This is the Fountain of Sky. We were...created...to safeguard the power stolen from it." She and Kaoru pulled out seven colored spheres, the size of marbles. "Here. . . we know the Fountain can be restored with these, but . . . "

Hikari looked at the orbs closely, then at the girls. "You first. I only have a little of the Power of Creation. . . I sometimes use it to make food, but this will be a lot harder. Can you give me a minute?" The two dark faeries nodded, and Hikari closed her eyes and held out her hands. It actually took nearly a full minute for her to begin glowing, and then she held out her hands. The glow grew brighter and brighter, until she shone like the sun for a brief moment. When it stopped, a bracelet and a belt had appeared in her hands. Kaoru instinctively reached out for the bracelet, and slipped it on, before smiling at her sister. "It. . . it works. I can feel it."

Michiru slid on the belt, smiling. "Oh. . . oh my." Suddenly, both of them were hugging Hikari. "This is. . . it's amazing."

Hikari returned the hug after a moment. "It's nice being free, isn't it?"

Michiru grinned. "Right. . . now it's our turn." She looked to the marbles again, and picked up a handful. Kaoru gathered the remainder...and as one, they crushed them in their bare hands.

Without warning, water began flowing from the center of the island, magically filling the basin in seconds where it should have taken days. The trees immediately sprang back to life, turning from dead grey to a healthy brown, leaves sprouting as soon as the waters reached them. Honoka, Nagisa, and Yuka stared around in wonder as the sky cleared, leaving the entire Fountain of Sky a natural land of beauty again.

". . . unbelievable." Nagisa said, completely awed.

Honoka quickly recovered first. ". . . this is it." She smiled. "At least for now, we can stay _here_."

Michiru and Kaoru blinked. "What?"

Honoka's smile grew even more. "We were running out of places to run to, but Mister Jay can't find us _here_ , and I'm guessing if you needed to guard against this Dark Fall can't get here easily now."

Kaoru glanced around. "Not. . . easily, but we'll need to be on guard."

Nagisa laughed. "It's still better than having to run every time we see a black van!"

Yuka laughed as well. "Camping out in the woods. . . who'd have thought?"

Slowly, the others joined in the laughter as well. They didn't immediately notice two extra faeries spying on them from the branches...

* * *

Mister Jay frowned at the two girls. Bloom was rotating her shoulder like it had just been pulled, rather than shattered, while Egret seemed perfectly fine. "Are you two sure you're healed?"

"Yeah, we pull together quick," Bloom replied. "You realize that we never got to tell our parents where we're going, right?"

Egret frowned. "And just where are we going, anyway?"

Jay shook his head. "Your parents wishes. . . may no longer be a concern. You've been summoned to the Imperial Palace."

"WHAT?!" Both shouted at him.

Jay sighed. "Girls, this was inevitable. The Emperor wants to talk with you, and make you an offer. I'm not going to lie, this got a whole lot bigger today with the thing with your friends."

Bloom snorted. "Apparently even if they were, they aren't now. It looks like Luminous got to them."

Jay nodded. "That just makes this more imperative. I congratulate you on being able to resist her influence, by the way."

Egret shrugged. "It's just a matter of not listening to her, I think. She needs some kind of opening. Just don't give her one. But it looks like Black and White are completely lost."

The three rode in silence after that.

Eventually, they pulled up to the most famous building in Japan. Bloom and Egret returned to being Saki and Mai, and were surprised when they were ushered to the meeting straight in their school clothes. The end result was bizarre, sitting seiza across from the man who was the nation's spiritual leader, resplendent in his finest kimono. "Would you like tea?" he asked them.

"Ye-yes sir!" the pair responded. He poured it for them, and they went through the basic steps of admiring the cups and the tea before sipping at it. Then, the small sweets were served by attendants.

"It is late. I'm afraid I forgot to account for the time," the Emperor said. "If you'd like, after we talk I'll have you for dinner as well."

Mai swallowed nervously. "Your Highness, we couldn't bother you…"

"It's no bother...for the girls who have protected our country so selflessly," the Emperor said, smiling at them. "In all truth, I wished to have this conversation with your predecessors as well, but I'm told that will likely not be an option." He took a deep breath. "The Battle of Tokyo was a hardship for the entire nation, and moreso the discovery that mere girls were our best, last, and only line of defense. And, on top of that, you have been maintaining normal lives to the best of your ability while keeping all of it secret from your peers. Incredible."

Saki chuckled nervously. "Well, Mister Jay's been helping a lot…"

"Indeed," was the Emperor's word. "But we should be doing more." Two formal scrolls were placed on the table. "We should retire to a more formal setting before discussing this, but it's refreshing having a meeting with girls who don't need to stand on ceremony. The fact is. . . we need you, in the best place you can be in. These contracts would place you under government employ. You'd still be allowed to attend school, if you wish, but you could be pulled out any time to deal with threats to public safety. You would also be required to spend time training in fighting techniques deemed suitable for you, as well as tactics and strategy sessions. This would likely cut into your time for personal activities, but the upside is you would be paid, and would no longer need to hide your identities."

Saki and Mai looked at each other. There didn't seem to be a need for discussion. They looked down at the scrolls in front of them, and each signed their names.


	4. Last Chances

Six months was enough time for everything to change. Mister Jay still didn't know what had happened, but Dark Fall attacks had simply _stopped_. Which should have been the end of things, except for two problems. Well, two problems that had become one problem.

The first was those four girls. They seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. Oh, sure, before they weren't exactly easy to track. The Odajima girl was too clever by half, and with her father's bottomless pockets the only way to confirm their presence was to actually see the Cures.

In his opinion, that would have been fine. 'Let Social Services deal with them, as long as they're not bothering anybody' would have been his approach. The mind control aspect was disturbing, but he had bigger issues. But no, then they had to recruit two hostile aliens.

The Kiryuu sisters were a whole other problem. Unlike Hikari, they had actually committed crimes that they had laws for. And, wherever they were hiding, Black and White were aiding and abetting them. Failure to capture them was no longer an option.

If this kept up, he'd probably be asked for his badge sooner rather than later. And he had to admit he was no closer to dealing with the problem than he had been the day he'd taken Bloom and Egret to the Emperor. So instead he was just wrapping up the rest of his cases or preparing to transfer what was left of them to other agents.

He was about done when the door to his office opened. His boss, an older man with gray hair, stepped in. "Ah, Kaoru. . . " Mister Jay winced at the lack of use of his code name. "Good news. You've been promoted."

"...what?"

"Ah, right." The man paced back and forth. "It's been a bad business, of course. Our agency deals with the unknown. The bizarre, the unexplained, and above all, the _secret._ " He shrugged. "Obviously, these Precure don't fit the last category. We've been doing our best, but the agency can't continue its' involvement here and remain out of the public eye."

"...sir?" Jay asked again, confused.

His former boss shook his head. "Kaoru, you are the closest thing to an expert on these 'youkai' and evidence suggests they will continue to be an issue. So, a new agency under the National Public Safety Commission is being created, and I've chosen you to lead it. As of tomorrow, you are the head of the new Youkai Task Force. So congratulations, Director."

Kaoru swallowed back his nervousness. "What are my resources?"

"We'll be sending over most of the Science wing that you've been working with already, and you can select two junior agents to come with you to help you get settled in. You'll be meeting your new co-workers tomorrow, and the agency officially goes online next month. Until then, you'll still have access to our resources, and consult with me. The public announcement of the Youkai Task Force's formation is on the first."

Kaoru nodded. "Will I be keeping the office?"

His boss pointed out the window to the newly-finished pyramid. "That will be your new office."

* * *

Mai felt the air rush out of her lungs as she hit the mat for the fourth time in as many minutes. "No, No, NO!" The refrain echoed in her ears as her head swam. "You must be solid. Balanced. You are a human, you must fight like one! You are not a bird that can flit about in the air, you must stay grounded!"

"Yes, Sensei!" she cried out, giving him a bow before planting her feet in place and trying to punch him again, as instructed. This time he grabbed her and yanked, but she managed to stay upright on the first attempt.

"Good! Finally, you're learning!" Mai smiled and let herself relax for a brief moment, only to be yanked off her feet. "No! I hate to be so harsh with you, but you are training for war! You do not have the _time_ for me to be gentle. Again!"

"R-right." Mai struggled to her feet again. Meanwhile, nearby Saki repeatedly swung a weighted staff around in clumsy loops, covered in sweat as she struggled to maintain her grip on a weapon meant for someone at least six inches taller than she was, and a lot stronger. But she kept at it, keeping her eyes on the clock...until the bell signaling eight o'clock rang, and she promptly collapsed.

The sensei looked up. "You're not done yet! You don't want to end up injured. Give me ten laps around the gym. Nice and easy now, both of you. If you're not still running at twenty past you'll just have to do more."

"Yes sir!" Both girls shouted in unison, bowing to him before beginning their lap. The room wasn't a traditional dojo, but rather a full-fledged gymnasium. The running track around the edge and basic mats were only two aspects. There was a complete set of weights and other strength training equipment, a full gymnastics course, an entire wall dedicated to martial arts weapons, and even, next door, a pool. All built in their hometown, solely for their use (although at their insistence the facilities were opened to the public when they weren't using them.) Everything anyone training their bodies could want.

Mai managed to catch her breath first, looking at her partner with a grin. "Are you hungry?"

"You bet." Saki returned the grin. "Hey, one good thing about this gig, we can eat out every night. Want to catch a late movie?"

Mai smiled shyly. "It's only Friday night. We still have half a day of school tomorrow."

"Eh, Mister Jay will fix our grades."

Mai gave her a scandalized gasp. . . and nearly choked. Once she had recovered from her brief coughing fit, she glared at Saki. "Hyuuga Saki, we agreed not to abuse that. Mister Jay is our friend, not some genie."

"I know, I know." Saki sighed. "Still, our job is to save the country. Don't we deserve something?"

"...well, maybe," Mai admitted. "But…"

Saki just grinned. "Great. Race ya!" And then she took off sprinting.

Mai shook her head with a soft laugh, keeping to her own pace.

* * *

The area around the Fountain of Sky was, once again, changed from the way they had found it all those months ago. The twisting tree roots were visually striking, but had proven rather lumpy to try to sleep on. One could kind of wedge a sleeping bag into a crack between two branches, but that ran the risk of getting soaked by the waters from the Fountain itself.

Nagisa had proposed building a cabin. Hikari was adamant that they couldn't use power tools in the Fountain itself, even if they could somehow provide a generator to run them. Actually, especially in that case. The problems of food and, at least for Yuka, any health care needed hadn't been easy to resolve, but in the end Honoka was proud of the solutions they'd managed to devise.

It had been remarkably simple, though not cheap. The traditional craftsmen for the shrine gates around Kyoto didn't lightly use their talents for supposedly secular projects, but eventually they had been convinced to build a single large table, about the size of a tea house, entirely out of wood. Right down to the nails. It was on top of that that Michiru and Kaoru made their contributions - five canvas tents, sturdy enough to survive almost any weather. Not that they got anything beyond a gentle sun shower in this place, but it gave some much-needed chances for privacy. The fountain itself provided continual fresh water for both drinking and hygiene, which just left food.

Unfortunately, that just left one massive problem. Yuka had just returned from her latest trip to the human world, as they'd all taken to referring to it, almost empty-handed except for an armload of instant noodles. "The accounts father's set up haven't been replenished." She said it in a rather defeated way. "I just pulled them all down to the bare minimum, plus enough to send the code for an in-face meeting, but I don't know if we can count on a reply."

Nagisa looked at the food that would be their last, if the situation didn't change. "Can we get more from the tree?" she asked. "I mean, it's a source of life energy or something, right?"

Michiru glanced up at it, doubtfully. "I think it actually comes from the Fountain. We could try just doing without food, see if the water can sustain us."

"That's a bit of a gamble, don't you think?" Honoka said pensively. "The faeries will probably be able to do that, but Nagisa, Yuka and I need to eat regular food, just to be sure. And the noodles won't cut it."

Yuka frowned. "I could go back, get the rest of the money out for supplements or something. . . look up exactly what we need in the library."

Kaoru sighed. "That's not a long-term solution. We could just start stealing it. It's not like _those_ humans ever did anything good for us."

Hikari's whole posture seemed to sink into the ground. Everyone stared at her. ". . . we need to stop Mister Jay. Without him chasing us, most of our problems go away." Everyone looked at each other. Their expressions seemed to say it all. _Could it really be that simple_?

Hikari quickly protested. "We shouldn't kill him or anything! Just make him. . . .give up . . . somehow. . . "

"Bloom and Egret," Nagisa pounded her fist into her hand. "If we take away their faeries, there's nothing left he can do. Even if he catches us, without them we can just toss him back in his fancy car and punt him back where he came from."

Mepple and Mipple, who had been silent until now, gave Nagisa a glare that, despite their small size, could only be described as venomous. The human girl actually took a step away from her tiny companions, but Mepo pressed forward. "Isn't the fact that they want to kidnap Hikari why we're in this position-mepo!?"

"That makes you just as bad as them if you do it-mipo!" Mipple added. "How can you even think that-mipo!"

Michiru shook her head. "It would _not_ be the same. Hikari did nothing to deserve this persecution, and there is good reason to fear for all our well-being if we're captured."

"We simply wish to persuade the faeries Chopi and Flappi that there's no further need for conflict," Kaorou explained, her voice a little cooler than her sister's. "The Fountains are restored, the worlds are safe, and with two exceptions Dark Fall are dead. And my sister and I no longer wish to harm the Land of Greenery."

Yuka went pale. "Guys, this is still. . . it's. . . . "

"Extreme," Honoka finished. "Eating ramen for a couple of days won't kill us. We'll wait and see if Mister Odajima has anything to add before we do something everyone might regret."

Michiru and Kaorou gave that some consideration. As one, they looked at each other in an eerie gesture of familiarity, before nodding. "All right," Kaorou said first.

"We'll let Yuka meet with her father. . . but just in case, we should be prepared to act immediately. I don't like this." Michiru suddenly called out. "Foop! Moop! We'll need you to be ready!"

SCENE BREAK

Mai held on to her stomach, groaning. "How do I let you persuade me to eat so much after practice?"

"Hey, we're growing girls and doing a workout that would kill anyone without magic," Saki grinned broadly as she supported her. "Still sure you don't want to see a movie."

"Oh, you're awful," Mai smacked her friend lightly, then realized her cell phone was vibrating. "Hello,"

Mister Jay's voice came through. "Where are you?"

"We were just about to head home," Mai said slowly. "Just stopped for a bite to eat."

"Right," Jay's reply was a bit skeptical. "Listen, the guys in the computer labs say they just picked up a potential hit. Put me on speaker so Saki hears this too." There was a pause while Mai adjusted her phone. "As of right now, you're on 24-hour training cycle. Head back to the gym and go up to the second floor. Your parents already know, and the school's been called. I'll let you know the second we have more. Don't worry, we don't need you to be ready in an instant. Hopefully, we'll have at least a day's advance warning."

Saki groaned, but gave a confirming, if only slightly sarcastic, "Sir yes sir,"

"Stow it," Jay snapped. "This is the big one, girls." Both of them paled, but neither spoke. Jay took the silence as confirmation. "That's right, we've got a lead on them. If this works, hopefully it'll all be over and you can go back to your ordinary lives."

Saki nodded grimly. "Don't worry, Jay, this time we'll definitely save Honoka and Nagisa. Even if we've gotta knock'em out first to do it."

Jay went silent for a long while. "I'll tell you what you're expected to do when I get there. For now, sit tight and train hard."

* * *

They arrived back at the gym, Saki pulling out her Blackberry and opening the file that had been placed on it labeled 'Emergency Procedures.' She read slowly. "Right. We need to dial…" she mumbled, pushing the buttons that the note told her to. The phone rang once, and then a door unlocked across the empty facility with an audible thump. "Well, let's go."

Mai frowned. "Should we wake up Chopi and Flappi?"

Saki thought about it for a bit. "They've been kind of tired lately. It's kinda strange, you'd think with Dark Fall basically gone they'd be a little more energetic."

They both spent a moment contemplating the implications of that before shuddering. "Right, let them rest up. At least they're not nodding off in the middle of a conversation or training session," Mai conceded.

The narrow stairway was a simple affair of hardened concrete – the 'gym' having been designed to double as a shelter in case of a wide-spread devastating attack. Jay hadn't been forthcoming with them about its' other protections beyond, but had assured them they were, indeed, taken care of. But up until this point, neither girl had been given any indication on what their emergency home would be like. Slowly, they climbed up the stairs with barely a glance at one another. Saki pushed open the heavy fire door. . . . and they were both somewhat disappointed.

It was a rather simple, if large, studio apartment. There was a couch in front of an entertainment center, speakers mounted throughout the apartment and featuring a flat-screen television so large neither girl had seen one outside a department store. A computer sat in one corner, with three monitors attached, already booting up automatically on their entry. The walls were lined with shelves, full of small plastic DVD and CD cases that all seemed a bit worn. Mai frowned, noticing a note. She snatched it and read "'Donations from the JSDF', it says," she read off quickly. "PS, don't tell your parents about the top shelf." Mai had to stand on her tip-toes, and quickly blushed as she realized what was meant by that. She resolved not to _touch_ the top shelf.

Instead she allowed her eyes to be drawn to the only other features in the room. Off in the corner opposite the computer was a small kitchenette and dining area. Well, that was actually something of an overstatement. There was only a microwave, a mini-freezer, and a rice cooker. Apparently they were expected to mostly eat out or stick to the box of military rations in a box next to the microwave.

"Woah! Mai, check _this_ out!" Saki had gone poking in the entertainment center. "Look! A Playstation 3! I didn't think these were even out yet!"

"...they're _not._ " Mai whistled. "How did we rate one?"

Saki grinned. "Last, best, and only hope for mankind, I guess," she said, grinning while she went through the library of games for something to do.

Mai sighed. "Remember, we have to get up and train tomorrow."

"Right, I'll just pick something out real quick." Saki said. "Besides, I think that's yours, there." Mai turned her attention to the computer, wondering what Saki was on about, before realizing that, in addition to the common keyboard and mouse someone had also added a drafting tablet to aid in drawing. Her jaw dropped while Saki grinned. "Neat, huh? Not much space, but I bet we can get by just fine locked up in here."

"...yeah, no kidding." Mai said, walking to the dresser and opening it. The drawers had been stocked in identical underwear, T-shirts, and athletic shorts in their sizes. No doubt the information was from the latest of their rather frequent physical exams. "Right, it says in the note we can control the locks and shutters from the entertainment center too. Can you lock us down? I want to take a quick bath before bed."

Her partner gave her a smirk. "Go ahead, I'll join you."

"Nothing else tonight," Mai replied severely. "Remember, we need…"

"...to be up early," Saki finished. "I know, I know. Can we at least share one of the beds?"

Mai sighed. "No, Saki, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow, when we're not getting in so late."

"Awww…"

* * *

A few days later, Yuka woke up to the sun streaming into her tent – of course, the sun never really set here, ever since the Fountain had been restored. Gently, she pulled her sleep mask back over her eyes and tried to snuggle up further to the girl in the sleeping bag with her.

Eventually, though, wakefulness wouldn't be denied. Nagisa stirred, forcing Yuka to recognize that she couldn't put it off any further. Propping herself up, she gently stroked her hand over the younger girl's cheek.

In reply, Nagisa gave her a soft hmm and slowly opened her eyes. "Last night was wonderful, you know."

"...I know," Yuka's voice was soft, sad, and somewhat distant. "Nagisa, are you sure I can't change your mind about the plan? It's you guys they want. If I go alone. . . "

"You'll be a sitting duck," Nagisa answered firmly. "I'm not as smart as you and Honoka, but I figured that out right away. And if they get you, they've as good as got the rest of us." There was no need to talk about who 'they' were.

"I know, I know," Yuka sighed. "But really, the park where you used to hang out after school? Don't you think they'll be watching it?"

Nagisa nodded. "I'm sure they'll be there. That's why I picked it." Yuka's look of horror was all she needed to see. "I'm _exhausted_. I. . . I love you, but I can't take this anymore."

"You picked the park because you know it," Yuka said slowly. "Plenty of open terrain to fight Bloom and Egret, the trees are thick enough to provide father and myself cover, and enough places to escape that I can get away," she realized. "You don't have the same problem, they can't stop _you_ without seriously hurting the city. . . "

"I wish _you'd_ stay away, but he's your dad," Nagisa sighed as she stood up. "So this was the best we could come up with to make sure everyone gets away."

Yuka sighed. "Fine. If I have to run, I'll be in the junkyard where you saved me the first time."

Nagisa swallowed hard, but nodded. "Don't...don't be late. We'd all miss you."

* * *

The knock came early in the morning. Mister Jay's voice also came in through the intercom. "Girls, you've got one minute to get decent. We're on a tight timetable."

Mai's voice quickly came back. "Ninety seconds…"

Jay rolled his eyes, and started to count them off. When the count finished, he swiped his own card over the reader and opened the door, noting disinterestedly that Saki was just finishing pulling her shirt over her chest. "Get on the couch!" he shouted. "We have to be in Tokyo in two hours!"

The two girls sat down. "I don't understand," Saki commented. "If we're in a hurry, why not use the video system in the limo?"

Jay shook his head. "We don't know our enemy's capabilities, but the apartment is warded. Their spells can't see in here, so this is the only place we can be sure we're not being overheard." The lights dimmed and the TV turned on, showing a picture of a park. More specifically, several outdoor-weather restaurant tables set up near a food cart in the middle of a park. The picture hovered there for just long enough for them to take it in before it moved aside to show a map of the area. "Girls, I don't need to tell you that this is the last thing we need to do. Teams are going to be waiting to cover the park's exits. You know who's who?" Both nodded. "We'll skip that part, then. Odajima's father has agreed to have a meeting with them. He's aware of our presence, but the others aren't. He'll be sitting here," One of the tables lit up. "With any luck, all of the targets will be lured out into the open, but even if they're not, your job is simply to subdue any that you can, and try to prevent the rest from leaving. The meeting is scheduled at 1000 hours. If you can keep the targets in the park until 10:15. . . well, we have a little surprise waiting for them."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "A surprise?"

"A little something the science team thinks might be able to keep any supernatural entities from leaving," Jay clarified. "Yes, that means you'll be trapped with them until we end the ritual. I have every confidence in you."

The girls both nodded. "Just as long as Chopi and Flappi keep going. . . "

Jay grinned. "Well, it's worked with them sleeping so far. Don't sweat it, really."

* * *

Michiru peered around the corner ahead of them, frowning. "I don't like this. The trees will make it more difficult to observe you." She seemed to take a moment to consider it, looking around. "I _will_ go with you."

"This is almost certainly a trap," Yuka pointed out. "The whole idea is that I'm the only one they don't really want."

"I'm not taking that chance," the girl said, giving her a half smile. "You're my friend."

Yuka put an arm around the girl. "Where's your sister?"

"She's hiding in the trees already, along with the others," The blue-haired girl said easily. "It's time, anyway. There's no point in arguing."

Together they re-entered the park, Yuka appreciating that this would likely be the last time she would see the leaves turning orange here. The wind was slightly chilly, but she barely noticed as she made her way to the old food truck. Mid-morning, there was no one in line so she walked up to the trailer. "Ahm….Miss Hino?"

Akane was still there, but times didn't seem to have been too good to her. Her hair was rather limp, and her eyes seemed somewhat tired. "Oh, Odajima, right?" There was a bit of an edge to her voice. "Have some Takoyaki."

Yuka swallowed. "You know, Hikari's wanted to apologize to you for that incident for months."

"It doesn't matter," Akane snapped back. "Do you have _any idea_ what they did to me to get my head back on straight? Just take your damn meal and get out of here!" Yuka stared at her, taking a step back in fright while Akane glared at her, before they both realized what she'd done. "Dammit, Odajima, I'm sorry. There's no way you could have known that, but. . . look, I know why you're here. Your father's at the table around the corner." She pushed the small box. "Seriously, on the house, just. . . don't let any of them come back here, all right?"

". . . right. I'm sorry for the trouble," Yuka said simply, before elbowing Michiru.

The dark faerie bowed. "I'm sincerely sorry for your trouble. You should pack up and go." Both of them stared at her for a moment in shock. "This area is being surrounded by humans. I'm not sure of their intent, but I can feel them. Yuka, you have ten seconds to back out before we'll have to do something drastic. Your call."

Yuka gave it six seconds. "We'll go ahead. I'm glad you're with me, though." _Even if I wish it were Nagisa._ She tried very hard to put that thought out of her mind before going around the corner, and taking a seat across from her father in his rather incongruous business suit. She nodded in greeting, opening the small box and devouring one of the greasy snack treats. "These are quite good."

"It's good to see you too, Yuka," Mr. Odajima said softly. "I do wish you'd come to me sooner."

Yuka shot a glare at him. "Father, we agreed it was better to stay apart. I wanted to, but you didn't signal that it was safe."

"...they cracked the code six months ago," He admitted. "I noticed the account accesses, but couldn't think of a way to signal you. And...it hardly matters now." Yuka felt the blood drain from her face as her father glared at her. "Because of your actions, the Diet is set to pass a number of laws tomorrow."

"...what do we do?" Yuka glanced around at the trees.

Mr. Odajima stared at her. "You've done it."

Michiru suddenly grabbed Yuka by the wrist. "We need to go, now."

"NO!" Yuka pulled away, slamming her hands on the table. "Why? Father, why _now_?"

"Because tomorrow, they'll be in a position to throw you in jail for your part in this mess. You, Yukishiro, and Misumi." Mr. Odajima said patiently. "But if I brought you in today, this 'Jay' gave an immunity document to me. In writing. If you stop now, you're all free and clear."

"And what about the Kiryuus?" It was Yuka's turn to stand protectively in front of Michiru. "What about the Mipple, Mepple, and Poporun? What about Hikari?"

"...Hikari would have to go to jail," Mr. Odajima held up his hands defensively. "For a few months! The Kiryuu sisters the same, which is more than fair for assault."

Yuka nodded. "Michiru...get us out of here!"

Michiru closed her eyes….and then opened them again. "A ward! We're trapped!"

"WHAT?!"

"DUAL SPIRITUAL POWER!" Yuka saw the twin streams of energy flowing through the trees, before Bloom and Egret stepped out. "Don't try to run, Yuka!" Bloom shouted at her, sounding somewhat desperate. "We just want to help you!"

Yuka screamed her frustration. "Hikari didn't brainwash me! I love Nagisa, you idiots! _That's_ why I'm doing this!"

Michiru frowned. "Kaorou! Foop! Moop!" She was suddenly joined by her sister, and the two mischievous spirits of the Moon and Wind….who turned into bracelets. "Did you ever wonder why Dark Fall's attacks just stopped?"

Kaorou smirked. "We did it. Not just with our own dark magic either." The pair of them nodded to each other. "DUAL SPIRITUAL POWER!"

"...wha?" Egret shielded her eyes as Michiru and Kaorou were surrounded by light. When it faded, the two girls were wearing long robes.

"Cure Bright."

"Cure Windy."

Meanwhile, hidden among the trees, Black and White were already waiting, along with Luminous. They glanced at each other, before White looked to Hikari. "Must have been a trap. Stay here." Without waiting for an answer, they pushed off from the tree, flying in a smooth arc over the picnic tables, landing behind Bloom and Egret. The four didn't wait, charging towards the pair who had been the enforcers for the man hunting them for over a year.

Bloom herself also showed no hesitation, sliding aside as Black reached her first, grabbing the older Cure by the wrist. A quick glance over her shoulder, and she saw that the new 'Cure Bright' had already thrown up an energy shield, trying to slam through her defenses through sheer momentum. Bloom shifted her weight, swinging Black around Bright's shield and letting go. Black flew past the shield, into Bright, and the pair of them crashed into Cure Windy before they smashed into a tree. Egret simply slid under White, and kicked over her head to send the last of her attackers into the growing dogpile.

Black was the first to respond as she pulled herself free from the mess. "I don't remember them being that fast…"

Bloom repaid the comment with a smirk. "We've been practicing."

Black smirked, holding out her hand to White while Bright and Windy also stood up, linking their hands. "Well, so have we." A shield appeared around the four Cures as Black and White held up their hands. "BLACK THUNDER!"

"WHITE THUNDER!"

The pair of thunderbolts crashed down from the clear sky, but Bloom and Egret were hardly idle, practically flying forward, propelled by their own magic while also charging up their fists. Bright and Windy found themselves growling as their opponents continued to press inward, the shield showing actual cracks before they split apart at the last second, hoping to cause Bloom or Egret to stumble.

"PRECURE MARBLE SCRE-urk!"

They didn't.

White instead found herself being grabbed by the neck, Bloom holding her up. Egret also managed to trip Black to the ground, looking down at her. "You may be stronger, a lot stronger...but we know your weak spot." Bloom turned and slammed Cure White into the ground by the neck, cracking the pavement, before throwing her through a dense shrub. "After all, you can't use any of your big attacks if you're not together." Egret suddenly found herself being forced back by a series of small spheres that exploded around her, the new Cure Bright following and throwing them about.

"You...you are…" Bright seemed to be short on words, her cold fury choking off any coherent response she could make. Instead she let her magic speak for her, forcing Egret away from her partner with each further crackling sparkle of burning sunlight. "Evil," she finally settled on. "There's no other word for what you're complicit in. Hikari is _nothing_ to you, and yet because of fear of her alone you allowed this world to nearly fall to death and decay."

Egret suddenly pushed back, not even using her magic, just a simple palm heel through Bright's defenses into the faerie's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. "What do you know about it?"

Bright collapsed to one knee, looking up at her opponent with hate in her eye. "You rejected us, but they didn't. Nagisa, Yuka, Honoka, and even Hikari didn't want to see this world destroyed. Se _we_ destroyed the Dark Fall. In the night, in the shadows, among the Fountains. While you were hunting us, we hunted and destroyed _them._ "

Egret blinked. "What?"

"I don't know why they care so much either. This world hasn't done a damn thing for us, but . . . " She managed to stand up. "It's important to our friends... _so burn!_ " Egret suddenly felt pain as her entire world turned to fire.

Across the clearing, Bloom found herself being double-teamed by Black and the newly dubbed 'Cure Windy', although it seemed to be a bit pointless to her. "Seriously, is this all you can manage? You're going to need more than this to beat me." She took a deep breath, calmly blocking each blow from the two as it came in. "It's not worth this! We were going to let you surrender! Your partner's already out of commission, Black! Just _give up_ already!"

"Huh?" Black's eyes flickered briefly over to to where White had been thrown, and seeing that her partner still hadn't stirred, she screamed and disengaged.

"Black, no!" Windy shouted. "It's a tri-oof!" In her own moment of distraction, she allowed Bloom a chance to get through her defenses. The girl had taken advantage of it by punting her straight up into the sky with a kick between her legs. Bloom didn't waste any time, throwing up another magical barrier and inserting herself between Bright and Egret. "Leave her alone!" Bright suddenly found herself being pushed back, while Bloom linked hands with a slightly scorched Egret. "Let's do this…"

A black thunderbolt split the air between them. Egret was thrown back from her partner, her head cracking against the pavement and throwing her for a loop. She shook the fuzzies out of her head as she forced herself to her feet. She was just getting her bearings when another of the strange thunderbolts shot down from the sky. Bloom barely managed to dodge out of the way, and all eyes turned to Cure Black.

Her body was enveloped in a black aura of energy that didn't have the same oily-slick feeling they all associated with evil faeries, but instead seemed almost cold. The girl's eyes, though, were blazing, as though they had been replaced with the same dark energy she had surrounded herself with. "Black. Thunder." Another bolt forced Bloom to dodge away again.

"NAGISA!" Yuka screamed, the first time she had been able to speak since the fight broke out. "Stop! You can't use the Black Thunder without Honoka!"

"Honoka's DEAD!" Nagisa screamed back. "That BITCH killed her!" More bolts fell from the sky while Cure Black stalked across the clearing. Bloom found herself with nowhere to dodge as more and more destruction rained down around her. Egret tried again to reach her partner's side, but found the way equally effortlessly blocked. Black covered the last few steps, effortlessly powering through Bloom's best effort to stop her arm and grabbing her by the neck. "YOU KILLED HER!" She raised her arm up, obviously intending to return the favor.

"LUMINOUS HEARTIEL ACTION!"

Nagisa's world turned to rainbow light as she felt herself held in place by the magical attack. Shining Luminous stepped out of the tree line. "Nagisa...please, stop. I . . . never wanted anyone to get hurt." She looked at Egret. "If I surrender, will you let everyone else go?"

Egret nodded.

Black growled. "Don't trust them Hikari!" The black nimbus around her grew, despite the freezing. "No, I won't _let_ you make that mistake!" She took a deep breath, and shouted for the final time. "BLACK THUNDER!"

There was a shattering sound as the formerly-invisible barrier around the park cracked and fell apart, dissolving into motes of light. The entire park filled with still more of the impossible electricity. Bright and Windy teleported to Yuka's arms, grabbing her and pulling her out first in the blink of an eye. No one else left was as lucky. No one escaped the devastation as Nagisa lost control of the power filling her. Without Honoka to balance it, it ran rampant. The food truck was compacted into a thin plate on the ground, the trees smashed into splinters.

Yet, despite all the destruction, no one was killed.

* * *

"Let me go!" Yuka screamed, struggling in Kaorou's arms futilely. "She's back there, she's still alive!"

Michiru slapped the human girl. "They threw the wards back up almost as soon as we got out! I _tried_ to go back for them, but I can't!"

"You have to!" Yuka tried again, a plaintive tone creeping into her voice.

"Yuka…" Kaorou suddenly shifted, her iron grip becoming a hug. "I'm so sorry. I know what Nagisa was to you…"

"No you don't!" Yuka countered. "You've never…"

Michiru sighed. "Maybe not, but Yuka, they wanted you to live, first and foremost…"

Yuka suddenly collapsed to the ground, crying. The sisters stared at her for a moment as her crying stopped, her hand suddenly going to her pocket. "Wha…" Confused, she reached in and pulled out five passports and an envelope. "...boat tickets….and plane tickets out of Seoul. Enough for everyone…" She swallowed. "Oh, _Father._ "

* * *

Hikari awoke to a terrible urge deep in her gut. There was somewhere she had to be, _now._ She slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself in a featureless steel room, a cot with no mattress in a corner. She got unsteadily to her feet, barely noticing she wasn't wearing any of the clothing she had been before going to the park. She quickly tried the door, and found it locked.

A voice echoed through the small cell. "Miss Hikari. Your medical exam has been completed. Quite remarkable, really. Biologically one hundred percent human...just like your brother."

"Brother?" Hikari asked, half-distracted. There was something she had to go see, something just on the other side of that door, and maybe down a hallway or something. All she knew was it was close.

The voice continued on. "Of course, you didn't respond the same way to some of the more...esoteric tests. Once we knew magic was real, we began looking through all those occult texts for information. Of course, ninety-nine percent of it was pure junk...but as you can see already, there was enough useful information to get started." Hikari started to pound on the door. "And a little bit of bleeding-edge technology to supplement it. While you were. . . busy. . . so were we. And we know, miss 'Hikari', about your true purpose. A fight to end the world, right on our doorstep?"

The door opened. "I think you'll agree this is a much better solution."

Hikari stumbled down the long hallway, towards the open door. It was beyond something she wanted. She couldn't even think about turning away, even as the door ahead of her opened. The men in military uniforms stared at her, but she didn't care. All she could see ahead of her was the glittering floor, a path towards the tall cylinder in the middle of the chamber, next to another one whose contents she couldn't see.

She walked forward. There was a little voice in her head screaming at her to stop, to try to find Porun, to run away, to grab one of those guns and shoot herself in the head. _Anything_ but what her feet were actually doing, taking one inexorable step after the other towards that scientific contraption in front of her.

When she reached the ladder, one of the scientists handed her an IV needle. "Wh..what's going on?" she managed to get out.

"You'll see," the man said, smiling at her in a fashion he probably considered comforting. Hikari gulped...and felt the compulsion return. A single tear streaming down her cheek, she reached around and jabbed the needle into her own vein, unable to even wince while she took the waterproof medical tape and slowly tied it down, before strapping it in with some kind of plastic. Job done, she climbed the ladder one step at a time, trying to focus all her energy into fighting back. But it was no use. As soon as she was at the top, she tumbled into the device. The padded bottom ensured she was uninjured, and as soon as she got her bearings back, she stood up just in time to note the lid being sealed into place over her head, the IV tube running up to it.

Just as the tube started to fill with a green liquid she couldn't identify, the spell released her. She began to scream, and didn't stop until unconsciousness claimed her.

* * *

The room was in one of the levels of the pyramid structure that had been completed, a fully functioning restaurant that didn't yet have anyone to run it. A chef was brought in, and a spread of food set out on the table everyone was seated at. Jay, Saki, and Mai held the place of honor at the head of the table, getting the first pick of the food and passing it along down.

It was supposed to be a celebration dinner, but Saki didn't feel at all like celebrating. "I didn't mean to kill her…"

Jay put a hand on her shoulder. "I wish I could say it gets easier, kid."

"Never again," Saki declared. "Not another human."

Jay frowned at her. "If you continue on this job, you may have to fight things that look human, you know?"

"As long as I know the difference," Saki said back. "I can handle fighting evil, but. . . "

Mai put a hand on Saki's other shoulder. "I know. We didn't have a choice. They were under mind control. It wasn't your fault, it was that. . . that thing." She glanced at Jay. "You said Science had it under control?"

"It'll never get loose," Jay confirmed. "Unless we decide to. I can give you the briefing, as long as you don't take a copy with you…"

Saki swallowed. "Jay. . . you said that you're moving into this place?" At the nod, she glanced at Mai briefly. "...I want to move in here too. I don't think I can go back to school after this. I . . . I need some time."

"...technically, you don't have to," Jay said slowly. "But are you sure?"

Mai nodded. "We're sure. We'll keep training in case . . . something else happens."

"It's a hard life, girls," Jay tried. "Living for the next threat? It's . . . "

Saki reached across the table for the beer, pouring it into a shotglass. "Maybe if we get some more Cures we can quit, but for right now….you still need someone, and anyone who comes along will need a mentor. Besides, I took your advice and started putting my paycheck away, so…"

Jay chuckled. "You're too young for that stuff...but normally you drink that in mugs, so I guess it's all right."

Saki smirked, pouring a shot of beer for Mai. "I know. But a toast with anything else doesn't feel right."

Mai giggled, but raised her shotglass up. "To a future without Pretty Cure."


End file.
